


Gemini

by Janelle



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:42:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 179,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1425589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janelle/pseuds/Janelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 2 of the 'Ride' Verse - Kurt and Blaine are starting their senior year together at Pace High School of the Performing Arts. With their summer ending and a new chapter in their lives beginning , the boys will learn that growing up and falling in love is so much more than 'a walk in the park'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I am author nellie12 from fanfic.net and this story is a sequel to a story I wrote called "Ride". I'm posting here for those who prefer this site to others. Thanks for reading!  
> \---

**Prologue**

 

“I know why you’re looking at me like that, Hummel.”

Kurt’s lips twitched into a smile as he looked away from his boyfriend and reached to fasten his seat belt. The teen got comfortable in the passenger seat and replied in his signature soft tone. “Whatsoever do you mean, dearest? How exactly am I looking at you?”

Blaine put the key in the car’s ignition as he looked at Kurt after the sarcastic retort. A great part of him did consider dragging Kurt right back inside the Hummel residence and starting something he knew they wouldn’t have time to finish- while the other part of him knew that if he was late to their senior year orientation at Pace High School of the Performing Arts, both his mother Clarissa _and_ Burt Hummel would have something to say about it. Blaine didn’t want that.

“You know exactly what I mean,” he finally answered.

As Kurt turned to face Blaine again, his boyfriend started the car and looked up, adjusting the rearview mirror. “I just think that you look very dapper and I must say I’m really into you in a vintage bow tie with matching suspenders—“

“You think I look like a dork, Kurt. Just say it.”

“What?” Kurt sounded offended but the chuckle of laughter that slipped from his lips a second later betrayed him. Blaine rolled his eyes before pulling out of the Hummel driveway. “I do _not_ think you look like a dork. I like seeing you out of your skater-boy outfits and into something a little more…” he trailed off with a smile on his face and Blaine shook his head, finishing his boyfriend’s sentence.

“Dorky.”

“I was going for _debonair._ ”

“Uh huh,” Blaine turned the radio on at a low volume as he drove. “If anyone laughs at me, I’m never dressing like this again.”

“You’re such a drama king. A little confidence could take you a long way,” Kurt played at his skinny tie as he glanced over to the driver. He thought Blaine looked absolutely sexy. His curly hair was neatly styled and the plaid shirt he wore fitted him nicely. The pattern on his dark bow tie matched that of his suspenders- the suspenders Kurt had no clue Blaine owned- and of course he didn’t fail to notice the way Blaine’s grey slacks fit him either, because _damn_. Blaine’s ass was very _grabbable_ in those pants, and Kurt could totally get used to this Blaine….

“Don’t get used to this,” Blaine said, interrupting the younger boy’s thoughts. He heard Kurt chuckle and shrugged as he drove. “I wanted to try this whole _preppy_ thing out because I wanted in your pants after orientation tonight, and I knew this would get you going, but let’s be honest… I look like a fucking dweeb.”

“So let me get this right,” Kurt began with a bit of a change in his tone Blaine couldn’t decipher as he drove onto the main road. “Dressing in that style… a style that is somewhat reminiscent to my own, or at least one that I find attractive on guys, is ‘dweeby’ in your eyes?”

As the elder stopped at a red light, he turned to face his boyfriend. Kurt lifted his left eyebrow like he usually did when he was waiting for Blaine to fail at digging himself out of a hole his big mouth had gotten him into, and the rider could only smirk and put his free arm around Kurt’s seat.

“Let me recant—“

“Yeah, you do that…”

“What I meant is that,” Blaine’s fingers clutched at the leather headrest as he continued with a smile. “I can’t pull it off as well as you or some… classy guy can. You make it look like the clothes were made for you. I look like a fucking clown.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Anderson—”

“Look at me, babe. I’m all t-shirts and ball caps and jeans with the rips in them. You’re high fashion and the epitome of gorgeous. I can’t pull off the things you take hours getting into.”

“While that was a nice save on your part,” Kurt smirked at how proud Blaine seemed. “It doesn’t take me hours to get ready and I resent that.”

Blaine laughed to himself as he pulled off once more. “Yeah. Uh huh.”

“Besides that,” the brown-haired boy pinched his boyfriend’s thigh and smirked at the squeak it garnered. “While I love your style, you’re going to grow out of it at some point. At least I think you will. And when you do, I just want you to know that you’re unbelievably handsome and can pull off anything.”

Blaine smiled at the compliment. “Well not those skinny jeans you paint on just about every day. I don’t even know how you do it. You’re hung like a fucking horse.”

Kurt ended up laughing and rolling his eyes as his boyfriend started to play in his hair. He reached above him and grabbed the hand, linking their fingers together in his lap. “Somebody is determined to get some tonight, I see.”

Blaine started to sigh as he realized there was a bit of traffic ahead. “Well I know you were really mad at me with the whole disappearing before our flight thing-“

“I still am.”

“No you aren’t. But,” Blaine heard Kurt’s phone chime as he let his foot rest on the brake pedal. “I just want you to know I have every intention of getting some tonight, regardless of that.”

“Best of luck,” Kurt read the message and rolled his eyes at the content. “All I have to do is tell my dad that I don’t want you to stay over tonight, or any night this week. And that was him, by the way.”

Blaine held onto Kurt’s hand as he slowly steered the car with his left. “Oh? What’d he say?”

“That we had better not be messing around and that we better hurry up to the school. He and your mom have been there for 20 minutes, apparently.”

Blaine scoffed as he considered getting off the parkway and just taking the main road all the way down. “It’s not our fault they left super early. I guess I’ll just get off at the next exit. Everyone is trying to get to that ‘Dodgers vs. Mets’ game I guess.”

“Yawn,” Kurt said as he rubbed gingerly over Blaine’s fingers. “What a stupid thing to waste your money on.”

“You’d totally go to a game with me.”

Kurt laughed. “The only game I would attend would be yours if you were on a team. Or Mikey’s. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a sports stadium again. Well, unless they were giving out free Marc Jacobs.”

“Yawn.”

“And you don’t even like baseball. That’s baseball right? So I wouldn’t have to go to a game with you.”

“Well I like you.” Blaine finally got to the exit and squeezed his boyfriend’s hand as Kurt blew him a kiss. “And I doubt I’ll join any high school teams. My endorsers would go crazy if I was injured doing something besides riding BMX.”

Kurt nodded. “That’s understandable. And it works for me.”

“Yeah,” Blaine replied with a smile. He drove a few blocks up, listening to the radio personality and shaking his head at the caller begging for Ricky Martin tickets. “So, can I stay over tonight or nah?”

Kurt shrugged. “I gotta think about it,” he turned the station to the next preset with his free hand and Blaine perked up.

 _My love_  
There's only you in my life   
The only thing that's bright 

“Oh shit,” Blaine removed his hand from Kurt’s to turn up the volume and grinned at his boyfriend as he retook it. “I love this song! My dad used to try to sing it all the time and mom would literally beg him to be quiet.”

Kurt smiled at the image as he realized what song was on. “Wait…Oh god no.”

“My first love   
You're every breath that I take   
You're every step I make   
and I,  
I want to share   
all my love with you  
No one else will do”

“Blaine-“

“You aren’t going to sing with me? Kurt! I mean I can take both parts by myself but- hold on,” Blaine started to speed up as he noticed the time, belting the lyrics loudly. “ _You will always be - You will always be my endless love_!”

Kurt found himself laughing as he turned the radio down a bit. “As beautiful as you sound singing a duet on your own, mon amour, Rachel and Mr. Schuester sung this song as a duet in my sophomore year of high school—our first year of glee club, and it was very disturbing. That’s me being nice.”

Blaine made a face as he switched lanes. “They did what? Ew? What the fuck…”

“Exactly. It’s not that I don’t want to sing a ridiculously lovely borderline cheesy ballad with you in the car, it’s just that this song was pretty much destroyed for me and everyone else in that choir room.”

Blaine bit his lip as he thought. He stopped at an all-way for a pedestrian and smiled. “The only way to take a song, or a movie, or _anything_ for that matter… the only way to take it back is to make a brand new memory for it, you know what I’m sayin’? Like if we sang it together. Or if I blew you while it was playing.”

“Oh god,” Kurt blushed as he laughed, “Well I mean, what if I start thinking of how Rachel looked at Schue while my cock is in your mouth… it’s just… no.”

Blaine grinned and changed the radio station. “Fine,” he continued to scroll through channels until he found something.

“Thank you for being so understanding, baby. And we’re only like 5 minutes away.” As he started to _finally_ reply to his dad’s texts, Blaine landed on a Destiny’s Child song and started bobbing his head.

“Cool. So on a scale of ‘1’ to ‘Ryan Gosling shirtless in a movie and you just bought a new bottle of Jergens’, how excited are you for this Pace Orientation?”

Kurt rolled his eyes as Blaine wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re such a pig.”

Blaine smiled. “Answer.”

“…I mean I’m pretty damn excited, baby. Excited to be here,” Kurt turned to look at his boyfriend and smiled. “With my beautiful beau. Chasing my dreams with you by my side. Studying something that’s so important to me...”

Blaine faced him for a moment and smiled as they waited at the traffic light. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Hummel.”

Kurt brought the teen’s hand to his mouth and offered a soft kiss, making Blaine smile. “Excellent.”

His head hit the back of the chair and he thought aloud to himself. “I’m hoping we have at least a couple classes together.”

“Mhm,” Blaine nodded. “So I can ward of the José’s of Pace.”

“So we can be together, you mean.”

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded some more. “That too.”

Kurt shook his head as he smiled and looked ahead of him, sighing as he could see the view of Pace’s campus not far off. It was happening; he was starting a new chapter of his life at a new, wonderful school, and he had the boy who meant the most to him by his side, as well as a couple of the best friends they could ask for. He wanted to be optimistic and enjoy this, but despite that, thoughts of being in the background at McKinley still plagued his mind. Nonetheless, he made it this far and that was good for something. Proving himself was something that Kurt had to do tons of times; this was just another test.

“Babe.”

Kurt was shaken out of his reverie by the voice he loved so much. A smile automatically claimed his face as he turned left to see the boy he adored. “Yes, honey?”

Blaine held eye contact and smiled when Kurt’s soft blue eyes captured his. “I love you.”

He could see Kurt’s cheeks tint pink and part of Blaine always cheered, knowing that after all this time, he could still get that reaction from Kurt. He was determined to sneak surprise ‘ _I love you_ s’ into random conversations well into their 80s not only so the beautiful man never forgot it, but to see his face turn red because it was true, and they were each other’s.

“I love you too, Blaine.”

….

“Please be seated, everyone. We will begin shortly.”

Burt heard the announcement as he stood in the building’s lobby. He shook his head, about to call his boys and offer a few threats before he noticed Blaine’s dark Lexus pulling into the school’s parking lot beside his vehicle. The man put his cell phone away after noticing the pair had arrived just in time. He folded his arms and waited.

Kurt was out of the vehicle first. The teen fixed his vest and smiled at whatever Blaine said as the boy got out next, and Burt snorted when he saw the outfit the hazel eyed kid was wearing. Clarissa put a hand on his back as she walked up beside him.

“They’re about to begin now—oh, the duo has arrived?” she sounded shocked and Burt smiled, nodding as their children approached.

“Yeah. You didn’t have to get up; you look like you’re going to pop any second now.”

Clarissa rolled her eyes and smiled. “I’m only five months along, Burt.”

“Hey,” Blaine stepped into the building and smiled at his mother, giving her a hug and kiss. Kurt followed, and the woman squeezed each boy tightly. “I’m sorry about the wait. I didn’t think there’d be traffic but there was, so we had to get off the parkway and drive down Oliver.”

Burt clapped Blaine on the back after giving him a look and they all turned to walk towards the auditorium. Kurt smiled at the pair as he took Clarissa’s hand.

“I’m so happy that you could make it. Sorry to keep you both waiting, though.”

“Oh,” Clarissa stepped into the room after her son and Burt, and smiled at Kurt. “It’s fine. They’re only beginning now. And I had to come, to discuss a couple things with Fred Astaire here,” she laughed with Kurt and Blaine glared at the both of them, feeling self-conscious as he adjusted his bow tie and suspenders. “So no worries.”

Kurt nodded, smiling. In the back of his mind he wondered what they’d discuss and hoped everything was ok. “Should we sit in the front?”

Blaine scoffed at his boyfriend’s question. “I’m not sitting in the front with the freshmen. Look how happy they are to be here.”

Burt rolled his eyes and walked to the middle aisles, sliding in as he listened to the speaker begin. Blaine followed; Kurt allowing his boyfriend to link their hands as they took their seats. Clarissa smiled at another parent who greeted her hello before sitting beside Kurt. After introducing the faculty, the man on stage finally began.

“Good evening. Many of you may recognize me from your auditions,” the gentleman at the microphone began to speak with an airy voice, and Burt sat back as he observed him. As Blaine glanced to his boyfriend, the man resumed. “Many of you are theater nerds like myself and may know me from outside of Pace High School, but for those of you who are unfamiliar, my name is Leonard Riley and I am the head of the music department here- as well as one of the teachers.”

Kurt smiled, already feeling excited. There was a huge possibility that he’d have _the_ Leonard Riley as an instructor and he could hardly process that information.

“I’ll be your speaker for the night, and I’d like to start off by welcoming you all to Pace High School of the Performing Arts!” 

There was lots of applause as people settled into their seats and Blaine wrapped his arm around a grinning Kurt’s chair, observing the auditorium. He noticed a couple people there from when they auditioned and even saw Liam-the-TA smiling as he applauded the students entering for the new school year. The teen rolled his eyes and looked away.

“As you know, this school is very, very competitive. I hope that you gave yourselves a good pat on the back for being accepted, because it means that not only are you incredibly talented and gifted at what you do, but that you have a passion for your field that couldn’t be denied when you were on this stage trying out. As one of the teachers here, myself and my peers are determined to pull the best out of you and usher you off to the next step.”

Burt listened carefully as he watched the older man at the podium deliver his lines. He was waiting for the part where his wallet would become involved because he knew a place this fancy had to cost a pretty penny. Leonard Riley continued for a bit as Burt waited, feeling Blaine slouch in the seat beside him.

“Pace has been around for close to 40 years, and we have graduated many of the greats you have heard of as well as some who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Award winning actors, Broadway stars, singers, musicians, producers, so many dancers… you name it. You’ve probably heard of our award winning choir and orchestra, and the many trips we do over the course of the school year; the big one being performing abroad.”

Kurt perked up at this. It wasn’t that he wasn’t already super invested in everything the man was saying, but traveling abroad was something he wanted to do for… well forever. Clarissa smiled when she noticed Burt’s reaction to his son’s excitement. She could already see him making rules in his head for this trip.

“Last year, our juniors and seniors in the Chorus and Orchestra made a visit to Spain to perform.” A slideshow began in the background as Leonard Riley continued. “It was an excellent learning experience and the students did beautifully. We came in third place in competition, but I’ve no doubt this year we’ll be number 1.”

People clapped as Kurt observed the photos. He was floored. He didn’t know anything about this. Blaine smirked next to him.

“Down, boy.”

“This is incredible,” Kurt whispered back.

“This year’s international competition will be in Rome.” Riley announced. One of the parents blatantly asked how much this would cost them and the man smiled.

“We receive our funding from the different organizations and companies that support us, so any family contribution will be minimal.”

Burt scoffed.

“The freshmen and sophomore classes travel nationally for competition in those areas. For those here that are majoring in acting or dancing subjects, you should know that we have scouts here all the time during plays and recitals. Over the past couple years, we’ve had students join critically acclaimed ballets, landing roles in shows in LA, NY, and Chicago, and even representing us by performing at the White House.” The pictures continued to move on the projector in the background and Blaine paid close attention. All of the accolades Leonard Riley spoke of were exactly what he _wasn’t_ interested in doing.

“Now enough about what we’ve done previous years. You guys are all interested in the here and now, and what to expect from your time here. Am I right?”

There was a mumbled sound of agreement from the auditorium and Blaine smiled when Kurt moved closer into his side. He could tell how excited his boyfriend was to be here and to experience this, and _fuck_ if he wasn’t thrilled that Kurt didn’t have to go to JFK High because this place, as grand as it was, was exactly what Kurt Hummel deserved in his eyes. Leonard Riley continued to speak as Blaine reached for his cell phone, trying to read the message he received from Jeff when Burt took the phone away. He rolled his eyes.

“Pay attention.”

“I am but I’m bored.”

“I know, but if I have to pay attention then so do you, bud.”

“I can do both—”

“Shhhh!” Kurt glared at the two and Clarissa smiled, shaking her head.

“The next step is to come in and pick up your class schedules. For freshmen and sophomores, you will report to the music hall on Tuesday. Listen carefully: for last names A-L, please be here at 10am. For last names M-Z, please be here at 11am.”

“If you are a junior or a senior, you will report here on Wednesday. Last names A-L will be here at 10am, and M-Z will be here at 11am.”

“On time,” Burt added, looking at the two beside him. Kurt smiled and nodded, while Blaine huffed, obviously playing the ‘ _I’m so bored_ ’card.

“If you want to be a part of the winter and spring recitals, or any of the plays or musicals for that matter- shows put on by the school that can give you that boost on your college applications, you must know that we require your GPA stay above a C.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide. “What? That’s impossible!”

Clarissa and Kurt turned to look at him and Burt shook his head.

“Not if you intend on visiting Kurt during the week and vice versa it isn’t,” the man told him, fixing the brim of his cap.

“You can’t keep my boyfriend hostage from me because I have less than a C average,” Blaine mumbled, pulling his arm back to himself. Kurt looked at his father.

“It doesn’t matter because he’s going to be an incredible student, behaviorally _and_ academically. Right, babe?”

Blaine shrugged. “So what if I want to compete in competitions? I can’t spend time after school with the band and in rehearsals, study for classes, _and_ try to focus on getting ready for the BMX games. You all know that’s not going to work.”

Leonard Riley introduced the school principal as the group continued to talk amongst themselves.

“If you want to compete, honey, make sure that your grades are decent. I’ll make sure your uncle Don knows that too. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Blaine looked past Kurt who was focused on the stage to his mother. “Well I think that a C is decent.”

“Well I don’t,” Burt contributed. Blaine sat back and rolled his eyes.

“You do know we can study together, right babe?” Kurt said in a hushed tone as he tried his best to follow what the man was saying on stage. “You did well with your entrance exam so you obviously know the subjects. We just have to focus on your work ethic is all.”

Blaine shook his head. “I was hoping that I could do this to make you happy and still have time to ride, at least a little bit.”

Kurt faced him now. “So being here is strictly to make me happy?”

Clarissa looked over now too. Her son shook his head some more and sighed.

“That’s not what I mean. We’ll…just talk about it after this. Okay?”

Kurt observed the teen’s face and Blaine eventually looked away, sitting back and facing the stage. Burt caught his son’s eyes for a moment and gave him a look. Kurt knew the look meant something but wasn’t sure just what. He sighed and faced forward as well, pushing the conversation from his mind.

For now.

“Okay.”

….

“Kurt’ll be over here soon,” Justin jumped over the sofa and took a seat next to David. “And Blaine eventually. He’s having a chat with his mom or something.”

“Cool,” David rubbed his tummy after he took his last bite. “Being in Ohio made me miss having Layla’s food so damn much. I over ate.”

Justin smiled as he turned away from the channel his friend was watching. “That’s what you get for trying to keep up with Jeff.”

“Not true,” the brown skinned boy tried to sit up a little bit. “Where are those two love birds anyway?”

“‘Gargoyles’ is on. Awesome.” Justin played in his blonde hair. “Um, I’m pretty sure they’re upstairs making out or… you know. Doing what they do.”

David smiled. “Between them and Klaine, I have a feeling we’ll be constantly disgusted.”

“Pretty much,” Justin said with a small laugh. “But at least you’re starting at UCLA and I’ll be away for a bit. One can only take so much Niff and Klaine.”

The doorbell rang as David nodded and the blonde hopped up to go answer the door. He smiled when he saw Kurt and gestured for him to come inside.

“It’s about time,” David said, waving his friend over. “How long was the Orientation? You’d think it was a school for brain surgeons or something…”

“It could’ve been worse,” Kurt threw himself over David’s lap and smirked when the elder barely reacted. “Are you okay?”

“Dodo brain here has eyes bigger than his stomach.”

“You sound like my grandma,” David waved them both off and Kurt smiled. “Anyway we’re going to go to this foam party at Laguna Beach as soon as your honey dip shows up. It’s probably the last big thing we’ll all be able to do together before everyone gets busy with school and work.”

Kurt checked the time and then looked at his friends like they were crazy. “It’s like 8:30. My dad gave me a curfew now that the summer is just about over…”

“What?” Justin scoffed as he took a bite of a brownie. “Summer isn’t over _yet_. Don’t you start at Pace _next_ week? It’s not a big deal…”

Kurt nodded as he sighed. “I still have work at the bike shop and my dad feels that I need to get back into the habit of having structure,” he rolled his blue eyes. “I’ve barely been home this summer and when I am, you guys and Blaine are there too. He just doesn’t want me to get in party mode and ruin my senior year, _especially_ since I’m so focused on going to NYADA and all.”

Justin pouted. “But it’s a Laguna Beach foam party!”

“I’m not going if you’re not going.” David added. He looked as if he could fall asleep anyway.

“You’ll go. There’ll be half naked girls vying to take you home,” Kurt stood up and reached for the remote, sitting down between his two friends. “And I don’t want to be the reason you guys miss an awesome party.”

“Who’s missing the party?” Nick reached the bottom step, pulling his shirt on as he approached the group. Kurt smiled at him, moving into the seat between Justin and David.

“Nice hickey, Duval.”

“Burt’s being all strict now that school is approaching,” Justin informed his friend. He could hear Jeff jogging down the steps behind him. “Total buzzkill. What if we tell him this is the last party and that we all want to be there together?”

Jeff kissed Kurt on the cheek before hopping onto the recliner across from them. “He’s going to ask if there’s going to be alcohol and sex and we’re not going to be able to lie so he’s not going to have it.”

Kurt nodded at that. “I really lucked out getting the one dad in the world who can see through every lie I’ve ever attempted to tell him…. Besides, Blaine just begged to spend the night at mine while we were leaving Orientation and my dad was cool with it. That was pushing it since we basically _just_ got back from Ohio.”

“He’s accepted the fact that Blaine is pretty much always going to be around,” Nick told him, making note to cut his hair at some point this week. It was getting a bit unruly. “And he trusts you two obviously. That goes a long way.”

Kurt rested his head on Justin’s shoulder as he channel surfed. “I guess.”

“How was your orientation anyway?” Jeff questioned; a curious look on his face. “You don’t seem as giddy as I thought you’d be.”

“The hype died down on the ride home but I’m still excited. You guys didn’t tell me you go abroad…”

Nick smiled. “Oh, I’m an acting major. That’s a vocal and music major thing… aka you and Blaine.”

“Dance majors stay national, as do the actors,” Jeff contributed. He stopped playing with his tongue ring, which Kurt appreciated greatly. “But you guys will be traveling if you can keep your grades up and all.”

Kurt sighed. That was the thing. He knew his boyfriend had no intentions of doing anything other than coasting through senior year.

“Blaine will be fine,” Justin said, reading his friend’s thoughts. “Is he on his way, though? I miss his little curly head.”

Kurt smiled as the group laughed. “Yeah, he texted me about 15 minutes ago and said he’s talking to his mom about something. Whenever they’re done he’s changing and then coming over.”

David looked up, still patting his belly. “Changing?”

“He wore a bow tie and suspenders to Orientation. I totally almost did him in the car.”

“I’ve gotta fucking see that,” Nick said with a smirk. Justin laughed.

“I bet you didn’t take one single picture.”

“He would’ve broken my phone if I did,” Kurt told them. “Maybe next time.”

“Okay, okay,” Justin sat up, a serious look on his face. “Back to this party… what time does Burt go to sleep? Just sneak out and we’ll have you two back before he’s up for work.”

“Well that sounds like a terrible idea,” David shook his head no. “Do you know how strict the man is? I mean… I don’t know, but he looks really freaking strict.”

Kurt nodded. “I’ve never been in _big_ trouble because I don’t want to find out just how strict he can be.”

“I bet you’re worrying for no reason. And who’s to say we get caught anyway?” Justin draped his arm over the sofa. “We’ll be fine.”

Nick looked at his friends and smiled. “It’ll be worth it… this is our last big _shebang_ of the summer, guys. Let’s have a little fun and even get into some trouble. My mom will kill me too, Kurt, don’t worry. At least being punished means we can focus on our studies because we literally have nothing else to do…”

The doorbell rang and Jeff hopped up, going to answer it. Kurt glanced over at his friends and shrugged.

“If I get into a shitload of trouble, I’ll probably not speak to you all for a few weeks.”

“You can’t go that long without talking to us,” David teased, nudging the youngest teen in his shoulder. “You love us.”

“Whatever.”

Jeff smiled at Blaine and slapped five with him. “Boo. You changed your outfit.”

Blaine stepped in, rolling his eyes as he slid his phone into his pocket. “Kurt told you that, huh?”

“Ohio tells me everything.”

“I was just saying,” Kurt sat up and smiled when he saw his boyfriend back into his usual white t-shirt and black jeans. “That you looked absolutely handsome earlier. You look incredible now, too,” he winked and Blaine bit his lip.

“Get a room,” Nick said with a smile.

“Like you two did just now?” David stood up, stretching. “Kinky bastards.”

“Nice hickey, Duval.” Blaine nudged his best friend in the head before sitting on the arm of his chair. “So what are we up to tonight? Chilling here or somewhere else?”

Justin combed his blonde hair back as he got a text from Quinn. “Foam beach party over at Laguna Beach. It’s going to be amazing but we hear Burt is probably not going to be on board.”

Blaine sighed and sat back. “My mom probably won’t either.”

Kurt lifted his eyebrow. “What was that chat about, anyway? Is everything okay?”

Jeff sat next to Nick as Blaine rubbed over his cheek. “Everything is great but it turns out I’m going to have a roommate…”

All of his friends looked at him a bit confused and Blaine continued, finding his boyfriend’s blue eyes. “She thinks, and Cooper agrees, that if he moves in with me at the beach house then I’ll have some around to keep me grounded and more focused on school and I won’t be _bullshitting_ for lack of a better term, my senior year away.”

“Dude,” Nick smiled, “Cooper isn’t bad at all. You can still have fun and have us over and what not, right? Leave when you want to… I don’t see CJ being a stick in the mud.”

Kurt thought for a moment. “He does tend to walk in on us… a lot…”

Blaine shook his head at the memory. “I got the lock on my door fixed. It’s all good. But I can totally see him trying to be a hard ass and I don’t know if I’m looking forward to it.”

“But it means you get to stay at the beach house,” Justin thought aloud. “That’s a good thing. Don’t be worried, man.”

Blaine nodded. “You do realize he’s probably only moving back for Jasmine, right?”

Justin smiled. Cooper did seem intent on getting with his older sister. “We’ll see how that goes.”

“On the plus side, you get to work on your relationship with your brother. This isn’t half bad,” Kurt spoke, smiling as his boyfriend came over and sat on his lap. “You must be excited about that.”

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt’s neck and nodded. “I’m excited. I just hope he doesn’t try to be dad… you know? I can handle myself. I just want him to be Cooper Jr.”

Kurt nodded as Justin stood to his feet. “Well, I’m just going to assume all of us are going to this party. David and I will be at your place at 11 to pick you both up.”

Kurt sighed and threw his head back. Blaine kissed his lips before the blue eyed teen spoke. “I don’t know that this is a good idea. I do have to work in the morning. There’ll be other parties, I’m sure.”

“But this party,” Jeff began. “Is _the_ party, Ohio. Our Pace classmates will be there and other riders, the college kids… free weed and booze and a good time. The shit we live for.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t smoke and I try not to drink.”

Blaine smirked. “Kurt becomes a stripper when he’s had one too many. And a table dancer.”

Nick’s eyebrows went up. “That just triggered a flashback from his birthday party.”

“We’re going to have to pass, though.” Blaine looked at his friends as Kurt’s hand rubbed up and down his back. “As much as I’d love to go and get fucked up, his dad actually likes me. That means a lot.”

Kurt smiled. “Aww.”

“Shut up, Hummel.”

David stepped into his sneakers and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, so we’ll be at your place at 11, Kurt. Both of you be ready.”

Nick smiled when he saw Kurt and Blaine give David a look.

“Bye!”

“Later bros,” Jeff smiled, waving goodbye to David and Justin. Blaine shook his head and looked at the TV, falling back on the sofa. The door closed and Nick folded his legs over Jeff’s lap.

“We won’t get caught, guys.”

Blaine shook his head. “You obviously don’t know Burt Hummel.”

“And if we do,” Jeff continued. “Then it’ll be worth it.”

Kurt knew he wanted to go and knew that he shouldn’t, but _come on._ This was a Laguna Beach party with foam and Blaine and his friends and it’d be a great time. He’d be able to meet some of the other Pace students and even some college guys, get Blaine jealous, and probably have hot jealous sex on the hood of someone’s car. The punishment would be worth it.

And that was assuming they were even caught.

Blaine saw Kurt considering it and shook his head. Something told him they’d regret this, but he wasn’t the one with the mind to say ‘let’s be rational’. It was definitely Kurt, and if Kurt wanted to do this, Blaine was going to follow.

No, he wasn’t whipped. Of course not. He was a teenager with a boyfriend who was hot and he wanted to enjoy the last big party of the summer.

You know, before Pace started, and Cooper started, and _fun_ ended.

“Are we doing this?”

Kurt smiled and faced the television. He shrugged as a commercial came on. “Why not?”

Nick and Jeff smiled, but Blaine looked up at him curiously.

“You sure?”

Kurt thought a moment longer and nodded. “It’s _one_ party. We don’t have to stay long. We get to be with Jus before he leaves and David before he leaves…”

“That’s a yes,” Nick smiled and sat up. “I gotta get home then to make sure mom thinks I’m there and bribe my sisters to keep their traps shut.”

Jeff ran a hand through his hair. “I need to shower. Don’t forget to cover up that hickey… I’m sure your mom knows Naomi never gave you hickeys like that.”

Kurt looked over at them. Nick sighed.

“I’ll have to tell her about the break up some day. And my daughter.”

Blaine finally sat up, acknowledging that they should get going too.

“Someday doesn’t have to be tonight,” Jeff looked around his place and made note to straighten up before his parents got in. “I’ll pick you up later?”

Nick nodded, kissing him softly. It was then that Blaine stood up and grabbed Kurt too, yanking him off the sofa.

“Mikey should be home by now. Want to hang with him to kill time until your dad falls asleep?”

Kurt kissed Blaine and nodded. “Of course. We’ll see you later, Niff,” he turned to the couple and waved goodbye. Jeff pulled away from the kiss and smiled.

“See you later Ohio. Bye, B.”

“Later,” Blaine let Kurt lead him out of the home as Nick finally said goodbye again, following his friends out. They got in their vehicles and promised to see each other at the party tonight, each saying a silent prayer that this wouldn’t get them in a world of trouble.

….

By the time Kurt and Blaine got to Don and Pam’s, Mikey was already fast asleep. It was only a bit after 9, but apparently the tot had a long day. Kurt smiled as he kissed the kid in his bedhead and stood up, looking over to Blaine. He got a smile and a wink from the rider who was playing with the pendant around his neck.

“Part of me really wants to wake him up. We haven’t seen him in a week.”

Blaine smiled as he looked at the sleeping boy in his racecar bed. “True, but wake him up now and he’ll never go back to sleep. You know how he gets when he sees you…”

“And you,” Kurt said with a smile, walking over to his boyfriend. “I guess we should head next door and at least make it appear like we’re settled in for the night. My dad is probably watching the clock.”

Blaine licked his lips as his eyes scanned Kurt’s body. He checked the time and stood to his feet, grabbing the taller teen close by the waist. “We’ve got time to kill before we sneak out tonight…”

“Not while my father is awake,” Kurt laughed and pushed Blaine off of him, quietly leaving the room. “No way.”

Blaine smirked as he followed him out of the room. As Kurt went down the steps, Blaine thought for a moment. “I promise I won’t be too loud. I’ll bite down on the pillow…”

“What’re we talking about, boys?”

Kurt, who at this point was already used to Blaine’s aunt Pamela popping in at completely inopportune times, only smiled at the woman as he reached the bottom step. “I’m just telling your stubborn nephew _no_.”

Blaine rolled his eyes at the blond woman and went into the living room to say goodnight to his uncle. Pam laughed, folding her arms across her chest.

“Yeah, if you say so Kurt. Have a goodnight, fellas.”

Kurt ignored the wink as the beautiful woman retreated up the stairs, though he sing-songed a ‘goodnight’ back. Don put his glasses on correctly after his nephew slapped them off of his face.

“Get out of here you rugrat. Goodnight, Kurt. See you in the morning?”

Kurt giggled at his boyfriend’s immature behavior. “Sure thing, Donnie. Goodnight.”

“Let’s go,” Blaine picked Kurt up and pulled the door closed with his foot behind them. He laughed at the ridiculous squeal that he got in response, spinning around with Kurt in his arms as they left the Kinsella residence.

“You can put me down now,” the boy said with a smile; clutching Blaine’s shoulders as always.

Blaine let Kurt slide down his body but didn’t let go; his arms tight around the boy’s waist as they backtracked to the Hummel home. “You’re very sexy.”

Kurt smiled, kissing Blaine as he slid the boy’s arms from around his waist. “I love you. Race you upstairs?”

Blaine scoffed as Kurt pulled away and began to skip towards his front door. “I’m going to lose on purpose so that I can admire dat ass. Work it, boo.”

Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes as he unlocked the door and walked in. He could hear some rummaging in the basement and figured his father was messing around down there or in the garage. Blaine snuck up behind him and kissed his neck.

“So how are we going to do this? I’m sure you’re much more experienced at doing stupid things like sneaking out and going to parties.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Don’t pretend to be an angel. I’m pretty sure you snuck out to hang with me before we were together.”

“Because you were really cute and annoying. We went over this,” Kurt turned around and pecked his boyfriend on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Blaine stepped out of his sneakers and nodded. “Tell him my head hurts or something.”

“Then he’ll check in on us, I’m sure of it,” Kurt turned back when he reached the basement door. “Don’t worry, just go upstairs.”

“What happens if I’m naked when you get upstairs?”

Kurt rolled his eyes and jogged down into the basement. He could hear his boyfriend huff and couldn’t hide the smile from his face. It was the moments like these where it dawned on him that he was going to be with the King of Over Exaggeration for the rest of his life.

He didn’t mind one bit.

“You made it before your curfew?” Burt lifted his head from under the hood of his car. “I’m shocked. I was expecting Mikey or Justin to call with some lame excuse.”

Kurt smiled and walked over to his father. “Well I’m here,” he took a seat on his new motorcycle and watched the man for a moment. “We’re going to turn in early. Probably just, you know… watch a couple movies or something. You’re free to join us if you want.”

Burt smirked and looked at his son. “You know the last thing Blaine wants is me interrupting you two’s time. I can hear the grumbling already.”

Kurt smiled. “The offer still stands.”

“Thanks,” Burt fixed his cap and looked back beneath the hood. “I’m going to have to pass though. I’m about to head upstairs myself. A quick shower and then I’m out like a light. It was a long Sunday.”

Kurt looked down at his bike and nodded. “That’s true.”

Burt cleared his throat and went back to working. “You know… whatever you two do in there… in your room. I don’t want to hear it. We clear?”

Kurt closed his eyes and a breath he didn’t know was being held slipped. This wasn’t happening. “What?”

“I know you both are sexually active…”

“Dad.”

“And I’m not even going to pretend I’m doing something grand with the whole ‘leave the door open’ thing. I know you’re teenaged boys and regardless of what I say,” Burt kept talking as Kurt hung his head. “You’re just going to do it anyway. Just… I need sleep tonight.”

“Oh my god—”

“So, yeah.”

Kurt ran a hand through his hair before standing up. “My um, my motorcycle lessons are when again?”

Burt looked up and dried his hands on a rag. “Friday afternoon. You’re off then, yes?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes. Goodnight dad.”

“Love you, kiddo,” Burt smiled to himself before continuing what he was working on. It was fun being Burt Hummel.

….

**From David Thompson:**

**You boys have an hour. Tell Kurt to start getting dressed now.**

Blaine smirked at the text as he listened to one of Kurt’s radio stations on Pandora. Howie Day was singing his acoustic version of _Collide_ and the rider found himself humming along. The door opened before Kurt was closing it behind himself and locking it; his cheeks blushed red.

Both of Blaine’s eyebrows went up as he smiled. “What’s eating you? Unfortunately the answer isn’t me…”

Kurt pulled off his tie and began to unbutton his dress shirt. “Your father-in-law and his sex talks are literally _the_ worst thing.”

Blaine laughed softly and gestured for his boyfriend to join him in bed. “Tell me what happened. I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be, and _I’m_ the dramatic one.”

“You are,” Kurt lay down next to him and kissed his earlobe. “We can go at it as long as we don’t wake him… or prevent him from getting to sleep in the first place. I’m paraphrasing.”

Blaine deadpanned at Kurt before looking back down at his cell phone. “There’s no way you got the clear to have sex with me in here. No freaking way. I’m calling bullshit.”

Kurt shrugged. “I’m just telling you what he said.”

“He said,” Blaine licked his lips and sat up, trying to understand this. “That as long as we don’t make a lot of noise, we can screw each other when he’s here? Nope. I don’t believe you.”

Kurt shrugged once more. “Works for me. I wanted to finish reading my book anyway.”

Blaine gave him a face before turning away. “Hm.”

It was quiet, and Kurt grabbed his Kindle with a smile on his face. He counted backwards from five in his head and right on cue, Blaine spoke.

“So what you’re saying is,” the boy pulled his t-shirt off and had a tank top on underneath. “You and I can have sex right now and that’d be perfectly fine. He’d be cool?”

“Yup, as long as we keep _quiet_ ,” Kurt found where he left off in the story. “But that would be weird of course. My dad knowing we’re probably messing around behind closed doors. Plus, we’re supposed to be sneaking out in an hour. Also, I’m not in the mood. Also neither of us can keep quiet when we’re close to orgasm, especially you.”

Blaine waited for a moment before responding. It had taken quite some time to wrap his mind around everything he’d heard. On the one hand, he really wanted to mess around right now. He’d been wanting to all day, really. On the other hand, it wasn’t cool messing around when your boyfriend’s dad was well aware that’s what was going on. Half the thrill was in sneaking around to begin with. “David said to start getting ready now.”

Kurt looked up from the words he was reading and smiled. “No way. My dad isn’t even in bed yet. Tell them to sit tight with Nick and Jeff or something.”

Blaine nodded, sending a reply before putting his phone on the charger. He lay down again and rested his head on Kurt’s chest.

“If Cooper gets on my nerves too much, can I move in with you?”

Kurt smiled, running his hands through Blaine’s hair before going to the next page. “I don’t think that hypothetical will ever come true so don’t worry about it, honey.”

Blaine closed his eyes. “If you say so.”

Both of the teens could hear footsteps walking past the door and after a moment, the bathroom door closed. When the shower turned on, Kurt took a deep breath.

“Well. We’re almost there.”

Blaine looked up at Kurt and smiled. “So let’s say we do get caught… how mad would you actually be?”

Kurt thought for a moment and smiled. “As long as we don’t end up dead or in prison, I think I’ll be ok. I know we’ll have a good time with the boys above everything else.”

Blaine nodded. “True. And you know I’ll do everything in my power to keep us safe.”

Kurt nodded. “And vice versa.”

“For sure,” Blaine sat up now and started to kiss Kurt’s neck. He licked over his Adam’s apple and Kurt smiled as he tried to focus on what he was reading, biting his lip as Blaine continued.

“You know that’s my spot...”

“I know,” Blaine placed a soft kiss over his boyfriend’s collarbone. “You taste amazing. You should let me blow you while you read.”

“Mm,” Kurt smiled, pushing him away. “Or, I let you blow me when we get to the foam party. And if you’re a good boy you can ride me too.”

Blaine couldn’t stop the smile that was on his lips a second later. “Is that so?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you,” Kurt looked back down at the kindle after a flirty glance. “You can pick out my outfit for tonight if you’d like.”

Blaine bit his lip and looked away, thinking about the new swim trunks he loved seeing Kurt in and one of the loose fitting tank tops as well. “I can do that.”

….

“Fuck. Marry. Kiss.”

Jeff nodded. “Ok. Shoot.”

David noticed a light turn off in the Hummel residence and opened his text messaging app. The crew was parked across the street trying to be as inconspicuous as they possibly could.

“Jennifer Lawrence. Dylan O’Brien. Peter Sutton.”

“Ew,” Nick laughed at the last choice Justin gave. Jeff rolled his eyes.

**To Kurt:**

**Your dad just turned the light out in his room. I guess you can give it another 10 minutes or so?**

“Easy. I’d fuck Dylan O’Brien. Marry Jennifer Lawrence, and kiss Peter.”

Nick made a face. “You wouldn’t come anywhere near me after that. I’m pretty sure he messed around with Farrah.”

“They’re all hypotheticals anyway,” Jeff told him. “Fuck. Marry. Kiss: Lorde, Blaine, and Rachel.”

Justin made a face as David smirked.

“You guys are all idiots.”

“Oh, they’re coming out,” Nick sat up and looked out the window. “Here goes nothing…”

David started up Nick’s Hummer as Kurt and Blaine jogged across the street. The two slid into the back row of seats as always and Jeff greeted them.

“Didn’t your dad _just_ turn the lights out? We could’ve waited another few minutes…”

“No, it’s cool,” Blaine undid the top button of his Abercrombie Henley. “We were killing time downstairs in the living room anyway.”

Kurt nodded and looked up at his house, taking a deep breath. “Let’s get out of here now. Like _now_.”

Justin smiled and David pulled out of his parking spot. “Someone’s scared.”

“Not even,” Kurt placed his hand on Blaine’s thigh and sighed. “Just a little anxious.”

“Hey,” Jeff turned around. “It’ll all be better when we get some liquor in you.”

Kurt rolled his eyes at the thought as Blaine started playing with the ring on his finger. “We’ll see about that.”

“Since we’re on the next block now, can we turn the radio back on, captain?”

David nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Do what you want.”

Justin grinned and turned volume back up. “Sing along time!”

Blaine rolled his eyes as the blonde in the front seat started to sing rather obnoxiously. Kurt grinned into Blaine’s neck, placing his head on the boy’s shoulder and listening to his friend’s heartfelt solo.

“I'm hot  
You're cold  
You go around  
Like you know  
Who I am  
But yoooouuuu don't  
You've got me on my toes  
  
I'm slipping into the lava  
And I'm tryin' to keep from going under  
Baby, who turned the temperature hotter?  
'Cause I'm burning up, burning up  
For you baby!!”

“Ok turn the radio off.”

….

By the time the group got to Laguna Beach, it was close to 1 in the morning. There were actually more people there than David had anticipated, but it wasn’t too bad. While Kurt wasn’t one for large crowds, _especially_ when he was already feeling anxious about having snuck out with his friends and Blaine in the first place, his boyfriend helped him feel comfortable enough to push the bad feeling he had to the back of his mind.

David parked on the sand behind a group of sports cars. He recognized one of them as Shane’s and another as one of the kid’s he went to high school with. Justin observed the scene as well and saw a few of their high school friends. While in most situations he wanted to avoid the guys he graduated JFK High School with, now it was a different story. Sure, their friends were idiots and rarely stayed out of trouble, but Justin figured if he was around them, he’d be less likely to notice all of the scantily clad women playing in the foam around him. It was for the best when you had a girl you practically begged to be in a relationship with you living across the country, and he was determined not to screw that up. So with Kurt and Blaine probably going to sneak off somewhere and Nick and Jeff probably going to mingle with their Pace friends, his only option was spend time with David and their old buddies.

“I see that Premium is here,” Jeff said as he stretched out; David turning off the engine. “And I see a few Pace heads here.”

“And JFK heads as well,” Blaine rolled his eyes as he took his arm from around Kurt so that the two of them could exit the vehicle. “This is going to be fun.”

Justin closed the passenger side door and turned to look at a few girls playing in the foam. Nick walked up beside him.

“We brought sleeping bags and alcohol of course… Where do you guys want to set up?”

“Wow. My ex is here.”

All of the guys turned to David; Kurt raising an eyebrow as he closed the door behind him.

“Here we go,” Blaine said with a smile. “It’s the same thing every time with you two.”

David sighed and shook his head. “Not tonight.”

“So... should we get settled in somewhere or what?” Nick motioned over to the alcohol and Jeff ran his fingers through his hair.

“We may as well. I want to introduce Kurt and Blaine to our classmates before we’re all too drunk to know what’s going on,” Jeff went to the back of the car to get the things and Nick followed to help. Kurt noticed Justin and David walk over to a group of jock-looking guys and say hello; the boys all passing them beers.

Blaine wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and smiled at the new song the DJ put on. “Want to rent a surfboard? You never ever let me teach you.”

“Well now isn’t the time… I mean there’s foam and music and dancing to be done,” Kurt laughed into the kisses and leant back as he continued. “And you know how Jose feels about you surfing at night.”

“I don’t give a crap about what José thinks,” Blaine said with a laugh, trailing kisses down to Kurt’s neck. His boyfriend chuckled and allowed himself to be led off when their fingers intertwined.

“Well I guess later on that’s an option if we stay sober… you heard Jeff and Nick are introducing us to people. Then we can dance, make out a little and afterwards I promise we can go in the ocean even though it’s really stupid and dangerous like you.”

“And sexy.”

“Uh huh.”

Blaine smiled. “Alright. I’ll go get a couple Cokes. Stay put.”

Kurt slid his hands down over the back of his swim trunks. He smiled as Blaine sauntered away and looked up, watching Nick slam the back of his Hummer closed and Jeff carrying a cooler and his slippers in hand.

“Blaine went to get us something non-alcoholic.”

Nick smiled. “Boooo. But whatever floats your boat. We’re just going to lay the beach towels and sleeping bags down and we’ll be right back.”

Jeff nodded as he struggled with the cooler. “Don’t get lost,” he shouted over the music. “There’s a lot of people here.”

Kurt waved them off before hopping up on top of the Hummer. He nodded his head to the music and watched everyone having a good time; the beach ball being thrown around a group of guys and girls even playing touch football in a closed off area- slippery from the soap but not letting it kill their fun. He smiled to himself and wondered who here was from Pace and if he’d have classes with any of them. He wondered if he’d make friends with them easily, and not because he was dating Blaine or because he was friends with Nick and Jeff but because they liked him for who he was; Broadway buff and fashion enthusiast Kurt Hummel. The boy shrugged and leant back on the hood of the vehicle, starting to shimmy a little as the music played loudly. Time would tell. Now he just needed to have a good time.

 _You know the words to my songs_  
No habla inglés  
Our conversations ain't long  
But you know what is  
  
I know what the girl them want,  
London to Taiwan  
I got lipstick stamps on my passport  
I think I need a new one

“You look lonely.”

Kurt looked up and smiled when he noticed who it was. “Liam? Hey… what are you doing here?”

The man smiled and moved the beer bottle away from his lips; eyes locked on Kurt’s. “Well, elderly 20 year old guys like myself like to have fun at parties too. I just didn’t expect to see so many high school kids here.”

Kurt folded his arms, feigning offense. “Now, now, let’s not pretend that I’m a fetus or that you weren’t at parties when you were 17. I’m just here trying to have a good time like everyone else,” the blue eyed boy said with a smile.

“When I was 17, I had already landed a substantial amount of roles,” he smiled rather smugly and Kurt listened to him resume. “I have every intention of getting you the same recognition this school year, Kurt Hummel.”

Kurt smiled, feeling a blush on his cheeks from the way the guy looked at him. He was sure it was done on purpose, and maybe Blaine did have reason to get as angry as he did a couple weeks back. “Um. Thank you for that.”

Liam grinned. “So are you all by yourself?”

“Blaine is here. And so are our friends.”

“Oh,” Liam nodded, glancing around. “That makes sense. I think I’m so tipsy that I forgot you had a boyfriend.”

Kurt nodded, humming lightly. “Well, no offense, but I’d rather not hang out with the guy who’s going to be my TA this year. It’ll be awkward come class time so…”

“So you’re making me leave?” Liam moved a little closer and leant against the Hummer. His blue eyes twinkled as he looked up at Kurt, pushing back his chocolaty brown hair. Kurt looked up for Blaine and didn’t see him, sighing. “I don’t think it’ll be awkward. I know the students have lives outside of school… It isn’t a big deal.”

“Well I’m sure you’re the coolest TA Pace has to offer but yes, you should go,” Liam started to dance a bit as he took another sip and Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes. “Go find your friends.

Blaine pushed his way through a few people, smiling at one of the people who said hello to him as he focused on making his way back to the truck. It took him forever to find a partygoer who hadn’t spiked their drinks with something or another and made a mental note to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages next time. Just in case they decided they didn’t want to get shit faced.

As Blaine spotted the Hummer, he noticed right away that Kurt was seated atop it smiling at whatever that douche Liam Myerson was saying. The teen took a deep breath, carrying the sodas in his hand over to where the two were.

“Hey, maybe I can get a dance tonight? From you…” Liam stopped swaying and took another drink from his bottle. “You’re in the dance class that I TA for and I just want to know if you’re in good form…”

Kurt stopped smirking at the latter part and raised an eyebrow curiously. “You know my schedule?”

Liam smiled. “I may’ve seen it.”

“Do I have any classes with Blaine?” Kurt asked, wondering if the 20 year old actually knew what he was talking about in his inebriated state.

“Uh, yeah,” Liam nodded. “A few here and there—”

“Hey.”

Liam turned around and the smile dropped from his face when he saw Blaine standing there. “Oh, Anderson. Hey man, what’s up?”

Kurt smiled when he saw his boyfriend glaring at the TA. “Sprite? I guess it’ll do…”

Blaine ignored him and looked at Liam. “Is it a good idea to be drunk around students you’re supposed to positively influence, Liam?”

“I didn’t expect half of the student body to be here tonight, kid,” he laughed a little and fixed his hair again. His persona screamed prima donna though Blaine felt a little intimidated by him. He couldn’t put his finger on it just yet. It probably had something to do with how Kurt always smiled and blushed when he was around him but there was something else, too…

“You can go find your friends now, Liam,” Kurt hopped down off the truck and pulled Blaine closer by his wrist. “I’m going to kiss my boyfriend now.”

Liam smirked and nodded, glancing at the two of them before focusing on Blaine. “Sure thing. You two have a good night.”

Blaine felt Kurt wrap his arms around his neck and finally looked away from the older man. “You do the same.”

A few seconds later and Kurt finally felt his boyfriend start to relax. He smiled at him and leant in, their noses touching.

“Did you miss me?”

Blaine nodded. “Why was he over here?”

Kurt kissed him softly and pulled back a little. “He’s a bit drunk at the moment so who knows. Don’t worry.”

Blaine looked him in the eyes. “If he’s making advances, you need to let me know now so that I can put an end to it now.”

Kurt smiled, moving back in and kissing Blaine along the jaw line. He felt strong hands move down to his hip as the rider continued. “I’m serious, baby.”

“I know,” Kurt kissed just below his boyfriend’s ear before whispering there. “He saw me over here by myself and had a little liquid courage,” Kurt kissed the shell of his ear, “so came over to run his mouth a bit. He probably won’t even remember seeing us here when he wakes up tomorrow. So,” Blaine closed his eyes and tried not to moan when Kurt played in hair at the nape of his neck and sucked on his skin. “How about we focus on more important things like you and I, and having a good time?”

“Yeah,” Blaine pressed his boyfriend into the truck and grinded forward a bit. “We can go find Nick and Jeff if you want.”

Kurt smiled and nodded, allowing Blaine to kiss his lips. When the elder pulled away and removed his shirt, Kurt did the same, throwing it over his shoulders. They were left in their swim trunks- Kurt’s baby blue H&M ones that showed off enough thigh to make Jeff get hit upside the head for commenting earlier and Blaine’s white with pink Ralph Lauren symbols.

Blaine reached for his cell phone and checked messages as they walked, rolling his eyes at one from Cooper. Kurt sung along to the Beyoncé song playing as he led the way; noticing how people stopped and stared but not doing anything to react. When they were by David and Justin, he was introduced to their old friends and Blaine said what’s up to the guys he used to hang out with, as well as Shane who walked over a minute afterwards. Justin laughed at Blaine’s face when they saw the guy who was with him.

“Anderson! Welcome to Pace,” Hunter smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. “It’ll be good seeing you more often… and you, Kurt Hummel,” the taller teen stepped in front of the both of them and Shane laughed with Justin at his antics. “I heard on the Pace tumblr blog that in your audition you showed your vocal range and played off your partner really well. I just want you to know that I don’t take well to competition.”

“I’m sorry,” Kurt looked at the teen as if he’d lost his mind. “And you are?”

“Hunter Clarington, of course,” he smirked. “Of Premium and you may have heard that I’m the lead male vocalist at Pace. I’m sure you know of my reputation.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Hunter, meet Kurt. Kurt, this is Hunter. Can we walk away now?”

Kurt smiled as Hunter looked at him. “I’m just trying to get to know the guy I’ll be spending so much time with.” Hunter said.

“We’re walking away,” Blaine took Kurt’s hand and walked quicker than usual as he tried to escape the group. David shook his head with a smile.

Hunter put his hands in his pockets. “They’ll be fun to have around in senior year.”

….

The first hour or so consisted of Nick and Jeff making their rounds with Kurt and Blaine, trying to get them familiar with their new classmates. It turned out that it was easier said than done. Most of the people they met were so drunk or high that they couldn’t tell Kurt what their major was when he asked. Also, Blaine looked more and more disinterested as time went on. It made Kurt wonder how he was going to do well at Pace when he was this bored at a fucking foam party.

Eventually, Nick and Jeff wandered off to do their own thing and started dancing. Kurt finished drinking his soda as he noticed the same group from earlier staring at him again.

“Those are kids from my old school. Ignore them,” Blaine looked down to Kurt’s chest and licked his lips. “Listen, it’s already after 1 and I was thinking we could just go back to the sleeping bags and kiss…”

Kurt smiled and shrugged, walking towards where the foam machines were going off. “Don’t you want to play, first? C’mere.”

Blaine bit his lip into a smile and slowly followed. “I really want to be alone.”

“One foamy dance and we can do whatever you want.”

Blaine nodded. He watched Kurt turn and walk away and then disappear into a group of people who were all covered in foam. Blaine licked his lips and sighed, hurrying to follow after him before they were separated.

It was a wet, soapy mess. Blaine didn’t know what he expected exactly, but after a few girls screaming and shouting Miley Cyrus lyrics into his ears as one drunkenly ran a generous amount of foam through his curls latched on to him, he decided that Kurt owed him _a million_ kisses. He unwrapped her arms from his shoulders and pushed through the group, wiping foam from his chest when he felt strong hands grab him and turn him around.

Kurt smiled as he pulled him close and their lips met less than a second later. Blaine moaned into it, moving closer and parting his lips as Kurt’s tongue slid between his more domineering than usual.

 _I'm dancing_  
To the sound  
Of my words in the crowd  
Too high to come down  
So let me see your hands in the air,   
Let me see your hands in the air  
Let me see your hands in the air

Blaine gasped as Kurt bit his lower lip and ghosted his hands over the boys swim trunks. Kurt went back to deepening the kiss again; their eyes closed as people around them danced and sang along, hands up and foam getting on everyone. Blaine thrust forward as he squeezed Kurt’s ass, moaning loud enough for Kurt to know exactly what he was doing to him. And just like that, Kurt was pulling away.

Only to turn around in his arms—his bare back pressed flatly against Blaine’s bare chest. Blaine bit down on his own lip this time and buried his face in Kurt’s neck, sighing as the boy rubbed his ass against his crotch.

“Shit… baby,” Blaine’s hands were full of foam as he slid them down Kurt’s chest and sides, eventually moving them over the bulge in the taller teen’s trunks.

“Yes?” Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine’s neck as he grinded back to the beat of the song, steadily teasing him. “Should I stop?”

“You better fucking not,” Blaine stroked him and moaned again into the boy’s neck, loving the way he pushed back harder. “And don’t forget you promised that I could ride you…”

Kurt bit his lip as he started to dance a bit quicker; Blaine opening his eyes for a moment before they rolled back in his head. “I did, didn’t I? Mm…”

Blaine started to kiss the crook of his neck and his nails dug into Kurt’s thighs. “You did.”

 _I've been drinking, I've been drinking_  
I get filthy when that liquor get into me  
I've been thinking, I've been thinking  
Why can't I keep my fingers off it, baby?  
I want you, na na  
Why can't I keep my fingers off it, baby?  
I want you, na na

Kurt smiled, moving Blaine’s hands away from his cock and linking their fingers together. Blaine moaned as he moved forward, working his hips. When he looked up, he caught eyes with Liam and saw the man smirk and look away. Kurt felt Blaine’s fingers tighten around his and stopped moving, turning around and blowing a bit of foam off Blaine’s cheek.

“Don’t tell me you came…”

Blaine looked at him and shook his head. “I didn’t cum, Kurt. Are you going to stop teasing and fuck me or what?”

 _You got me faded, faded, faded_  
Baby, I want you, na na  
Can't keep your eyes off my fatty  
Daddy, I want you, na na  
Drunk in love, I want you

Kurt thought about pushing it but only nodded, his dick thinking harder than his brain apparently. “Depending on how well you suck me, we’ll see.”

Blaine smirked, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowd. He shook off the feeling from earlier when he saw Liam and focused on getting across the sand to their things. Kurt had been feeling frisky along the way and they stopped to make out twice before Blaine’s back finally hit one of the sleeping bags.

“You sure you want to do it here?” Blaine bit his lip as Kurt straddled him and reached into the cooler for a Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He watched the boy’s blue eyes darken a little before he took a sip. Blaine ran his hands down his thighs as he awaited an answer.

“I do,” Kurt licked his lips after swallowing and grinded his ass slowly over Blaine’s hard on. “Unless you don’t want to? Either way I’m going to try my best to change your mind…”

“No, I do,” Blaine sat up and Kurt smiled as he leaned in, eagerly kissing him. They were far enough away from the partiers save for one couple that was a few yards off. “I really do, please…”

Kurt nodded and kissed him once more before rolling away. He took another drink and handed the bottle to Blaine who took a sip, finding the alcohol in it stronger than he expected. Kurt undid the drawstrings of his swim trunks and stroked over his cock as he watched Blaine finish the drink off. “You can be a huge cock slut when you want to be,” he smirked as Blaine licked his lips. “If I tap you a few times it means someone is coming.”

Blaine tossed the bottle and pulled one of Kurt’s legs towards him, getting on his knees between Kurt’s thighs and pulling at the clothing he wore. “I’m not gonna stop so don’t bother. Let them enjoy it.”

Kurt smiled and lay back, propped up on a few beach towels. He watched as Blaine put his cock in his mouth and let his eyes drift closed.

….

“Why are you so quiet?” Justin nudged his best friend in the shoulder and saw the boy tiredly look up at him. “If you’re thinking about your ex this hard, maybe you should just go talk to her. It’s not like you aren’t going to end up together again anyway…”

David shook his head and looked away. “This isn’t even about Maya. I don’t mean to be a downer,” he took another drink from his bottle and leant back a bit. “I don’t know.”

Justin looked up at Hunter with Nick and Jeff, the three of them running their mouths about something or another. Probably Pace related, or BMX related. He turned to his friend and observed him. “You know if you want, you can talk to me. I may not be the best with advice but I’m a good listener.”

David smiled, rubbing a hand down his face. “I guess this is out of character for me. I’m usually a loud and horny drunk.”

Justin smiled. “You’ve had two beers over the span of a couple hours. Not that big a deal. What’s up, though?”

“I’m just thinking about how different it’ll be in a year, I guess,” the elder told him. “I mean this is how I’m going to remember all of us being together, you know? Kurt and Blaine off screwing each other and then popping back up and acting as if nothing happened. You here by my side,” he smiled. “Nick and Jeff off being goofballs until they get drunk enough to do something they’ll more than likely forget.”

Justin nodded. “We always have a good time.”

“But a year from now, where will we be?”

Justin turned to look at him once more. The DJ put on an upbeat dance track and Hunter grabbed a girl, making her dance with him. David smiled at the face she gave him before Justin spoke. “We’ll still be friends, of course…” he didn’t want to think of it any other way. He couldn’t even imagine it any other way.

“Well,” David shrugged. “I’m here for the next four years for college. The boys all graduate high school in May and I’m pretty sure they’re all heading east for college. You? I assume you’ll still be traveling but I don’t know where Quinn will go…”

When Justin realized where his friend was going with this, he shook his head. “No matter where I end up or the guys end up, we’re all going to be a team. We’re best friends. You gotta know that?”

David smiled that charming smile of his and rubbed at the nape of his neck. He nodded. “I know. I just… I guess being here and seeing everyone, and knowing how much this is going to change… I don’t know, Justin. We’re growing up and we’ll be finding other interests. In other places. Nick has a child for goodness sake. I’m going to miss being a kid I guess.”

Justin nodded. He could understand that much. “I do live with you. Don’t forget that. And even though I’ll be on tour, once it’s done I’ll be coming right back home to you.”

Jeff made a sound as he sat down next to them. “So are you two getting together now as well? Who would’ve thought that Legacy would end up dating each other?”

David laughed as Justin rolled his eyes. “Shut up, loser. What’s up?”

“Well,” Jeff sighed. “I’m all foamed up but I can’t go over to our towels and things because Kurt said to wait until he texts us that it’s ok. So here I am, just waiting.”

David smirked. “They’re a mess.”

Justin took another drink as Jeff nodded. “Pretty much. What’re you two on about?”

“Just enjoying… this,” David looked around the beach and smiled. “We’re just enjoying our youth while it lasts.”

….

“If you make me cum before the ten minute mark I will never, ever, ever forgive you,” Kurt’s nails dug into his boyfriend’s hips as his eyes shot open. “Holy fuck!”

Blaine’s hands were on Kurt’s chest as he struggled to catch his breath. “N-Now you know… how I feel… _shit._ ”

Kurt’s eyes closed as the boy on top of him slowly sunk lower. Blaine was so tight around him that he didn’t think he’d last very long if at all. When he started to grind his hips, Kurt tried holding Blaine in place but his boyfriend wasn’t having it.

“I told you to stop doing that thing with your tongue while you were blowing me because I knew this would happen,” Kurt’s toes curled and he gasped, trying to ward off his orgasm. “Blaine, slowly…”

Blaine scratched down Kurt’s chest as he smiled, slowing his movements. It was fun being in control even though he was bottoming. Every time Kurt had fucked him before, he without a doubt had his ass handed to him. Now, Kurt was squirming and trying everything to hold on. “It’s great knowing that all I have to do is bounce maybe three times and you’ll be screaming out my name. The roles have definitely been reversed, huh?”

Kurt went to laugh but Blaine moved and he moaned, digging into his thighs. “Fuck, please…”

Blaine leant down, cupping his boyfriend’s face before he kissed his lips softly. “What’re you begging for?”

Kurt shook his head, thrusting up hard until Blaine bit his lip. “S-Shit, I don’t even know…”

Blaine smiled as Kurt started to slowly rock his hips. He spread his legs more and licked his lips as Kurt started to make contact with his prostate, moaning softly to himself.

“I… I can’t,” Kurt opened his eyes and looked at his boyfriend on top of him; the boy’s muscles clenching every time he hit his spot and the face Blaine made as result, the way his name was written over his chest and how his eyes rolled back when he moaned… all of it was more than Kurt could handle. “I’m _so_ close, sexy.”

Blaine nodded, taking Kurt’s hands and putting them on his waist. “Fuck me. Cum for me.”

Kurt cursed as he threw his head back for a moment, thrusting up hard. Blaine took it amazingly and stared at Kurt’s lips as he bounced on top of him. Every time Kurt’s cock stroked his prostate, his voice got louder and louder. Thank goodness there was music blasting.

Blaine felt Kurt’s entire body go stiff as the boy’s legs shook, and he gasped, almost falling forward. As Kurt tensed, he rose and fell twice more before the boy’s pink lips were parting and he was coming inside of him. Blaine watched him fall apart and licked his own lips, slowly riding him as he climaxed.

“You… look so beautiful, Kurt.”

Kurt’s fingers made their way down Blaine’s thighs as the boy continued to move on top of him. “Fuck… baby. Oh my god.”

Blaine smiled and leaned down to kiss him. He heard Kurt whine as he pulled off and the boy focused on sliding his tongue into Blaine’s mouth as his hands kneaded the flesh of his ass.

“Let me take care of you…”

Blaine nodded, about to go in for another kiss when Kurt pulled back. He thought about chasing his lips but was rolled over and turned onto his stomach. At this point, he was lying on Nick’s sleeping back and Blaine made it a point to buy his best friend a new one.

“Ass in the air, baby.”

Blaine smiled to himself and lifted his ass up as he looked around the party. His fingers clutched at the beach towels and his toes curled a second later when Kurt’s tongue was inside of him, no doubt tasting cum as he kissed his way around the rim. “Fuck, Hummel.”

Kurt smiled and buried his face deeper, eating him out. He could hear someone drunkenly stumble by as they shouted ‘BEST PARTY EVER’ and he could also hear Blaine moaning an agreement as he tried not to laugh, reaching between the rider’s thighs and stroking him long and hard.

“Oh… yes,” Blaine pushed his ass back and groaned when Kurt’s hand slowly stroked him. “Don’t stop— _yes…_ ”

Kurt sped up his movements; his tongue flicking in and out of Blaine’s hole before slipping in as deep as he could manage, his fist jerking off Blaine in ways that made the boy shake as he moaned encouraging words into the air. All of this had gone on for some time, and every moment that it seemed like Blaine was about to climax, Kurt would slow down or stop completely. And when he felt himself getting hard again, he pulled away with a squeeze to his boyfriend’s ass.

“Kurt…” Blaine’s face dropped into the fabric before he turned around. “What’re you doing to me?”

Kurt giggled softly and started to lube himself up again. “Don’t worry, baby. I got you.”

Blaine smiled and faced forward again.

 _Cause I could be the rain in your desert sky,_  
I could be the fire in your darkest night,  
I could be your curse or your angel,  
It's all in how you love me.

 _I could be your sun when it's cold outside,_  
I could be your rock when there's nowhere to hide,  
I could be your curse or your angel,  
It's all in how you love me.

Kurt’s eyes rolled back as his palms lay flat on Blaine’s back. He pushed in slowly until he was balls deep and let go of the breath he was holding; trailing his hands up his boyfriend’s damp back and curling his fingers into damp curls. Blaine bit his lip when his hair was pulled roughly and shouted when Kurt plunged inside of him; hitting his spot so perfectly and head on that he was sure he was seeing stars. He felt full as Kurt started to move in and out, trying to push himself deeper every time. Blaine’s cock stood hard between his legs and though he wanted to touch himself, or to be touched, the only thing he could really focus on was the way he was being fucked and the words Kurt was saying above him.

“I _love_ that I’m the only one that gets to be inside you,” Kurt slid one hand down his boyfriend’s side and palmed his ass as the other stayed laced in his curls. “I love that I’m the only one who can make love to you and watch you take it so beautifully.”

“God,” Blaine felt his body starting to tremble as he pulled at the sleeping bags, trying to stay on all fours. “Kurt…”

“And I adore how you say my name,” Kurt looked down at Blaine’s ass as it slid back, slapping against his hip bones, “like it’s your favorite song…”

Blaine’s entire body was hot. He furrowed his eyebrows as Kurt slammed into him. If he didn’t come right now he thought for sure he’d pass out. Everything his boyfriend was saying and how perfectly he was handling him… it wasn’t exactly _love making_ but fuck if Kurt didn’t know exactly what he needed and when he needed it. “Kurt… I…”

 _I don't need a second chance,_  
I need a friend,  
Someone who's gon' stand by me right there till the end,  
If you want the best of my heart, you've just gotta see the good in me.

 _Cause I could be the rain in your desert sky,_  
I could be the fire in your darkest night,  
I could be your curse or your angel,  
It's all in how you love me.

Kurt let go of Blaine’s hair and pushed the boy’s head down into the fabric, rubbing over his shoulders as he continued to move his hips. He felt himself getting closer again and it felt _so_ good. It was too good for words.

He reached underneath them and started to play with Blaine’s cock, slowly at first as he drew closer but then full on strokes to match his rhythm. Blaine was a mumbling, writhing mess and Kurt knew by the way he stuttered his name and how his hands grabbed at _everything_ as he shook that his lover was close. He threw his head back and plunged forward four more times, coming a moment after Blaine had. They both moaned as they rode it out and Kurt continued to move in and out of Blaine after the teen had collapsed onto the sleeping bag.

For a couple minutes, Blaine had forgotten where he was. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at the starry night sky. Kurt was next to him, half on the sleeping bags and half on the sand. He laughed shook his head as he tried to sit up.

“So can we go surfing?”

Kurt smiled. “If I could open my eyes, I’d one hundred percent roll them at you right now.”

….

“So what’re you going to order?”

Kurt scanned the menu as he fixed his shirt. “I guess I’ll get that spinach omelet. With bacon.”

Blaine picked his head up off the table after Nick kicked his leg. “Ouch.”

“Tell the waiter what you want, man.”

Kurt smiled and ordered for him. “He’ll take a double cheeseburger and sweet potato fries.”

The waiter nodded and took the groups’ menus before walking away. Blaine put his head back down on the table and Jeff raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with B?”

Kurt shook his head and ran his hands through the boy’s hair. “He’s just tired.”

“You worked him over, huh?” David winked.

“I’m glad we left as early as we did,” Justin put his empty glass down on the table. “And that we didn’t do any heavy drinking. The parents… at least those who care, won’t suspect a thing.”

David scratched at his head as Nick yawned. “It’s good to see that we can enjoy ourselves with a little buzz. I just assumed I had to be trashed to have a good time around you people.”

Jeff smirked. “Screw you too.”

Kurt smiled as David shrugged next to him. “I want my hips pierced.”

Blaine finally lifted his head from the table as the entire group of teens went quiet. They stared at Kurt and Nick’s lips even parted a little.

“Well I guess that one of us got drunk after all…” Jeff mumbled.

“I’m not drunk,” Kurt said with a smirk. “I just want my hips pierced. Is that such a bad thing?”

Blaine shook his head no and Justin laughed at the desire in his friend’s eyes. David shrugged.

“I guess I just wonder why…that was out of left field.”

“Obviously all of the adrenaline from sneaking out tonight is still rushing and he’s on a _let’s continue to do stupid things_ high,” David said clearly, glaring at the teen.

Kurt cleared his throat, resenting that. “What he said isn’t true in the slightest. I… well in the past I thought about piercing my tongue but of course that’d affect my singing. And I want a tattoo but I’m afraid my dad will destroy me… and I was thinking he can’t really get angry at hip piercings, right? Just a stud or two on each side… I mean why not?”

“I agree,” Blaine licked his lips. Nick rolled his eyes at his friend and smiled at Kurt.

“So what… do you wanna go now? After we eat?”

Kurt looked from Nick who spoke, to Blaine who seemed very intrigued. “Why not… you guys will come with, right?”

“I always did want a tattoo,” Jeff said with a smile. “We can go to the shop a town over, they’re open 24 hours.”

“And what about when we get home after your parents are awake?”

Kurt looked at David. Blaine thought for a while.

“We can say we all went out early to come to Layla’s…. We are at Layla’s and technically we did leave really… really early.”

Jeff smiled. “We’re terrible children.”

“I say we do it,” Kurt high fived his boyfriend who agreed. “We’re all about to start new chapters in our lives,” he turned to David and Justin and smiled. “Why not begin with a new ‘us’?”

Blaine put his arm around Kurt’s seat and his other hand in the middle of the table. The guys all reached into the center and stacked their hands on top of one another’s. “No pussying out now.”

Jeff nodded. “I’m totally getting a pin-up girl holding a skateboard tattoo!”

Nick rolled his eyes. His friends were dummies.

….

**_One Week Later_ **

**_Sunday night, 8:53 PM_ **

“So tell us your schedule! Are you excited?”

Kurt spoke back softly to the screen as he nodded. “I’m pretty damn excited. Well mostly just to get out of the house… and to see Blaine on a regular basis again. This is really ridiculous.”

Mercedes smiled next to Rachel as the girl laughed. “Well you wanted to be a bad ass and go out partying and piercing yourself. I’m not sure what you expected, Kurt.”

Kurt nodded. Burt had threatened to ground him until Christmas but luckily, he only had one more week left until he was free.

Well, one week and two days. The extra two days were added on because Blaine got caught sneaking out of the house one night. Kurt said to go out of the garage door but no, Blaine had to be that one guy who thought sitcom escape routes were the way to go and sneak out of the window.

They both got a stern talking to from Burt Hummel.

It sucked because there was no Mikey, no Blaine, no hanging out with Legacy, and no motorcycle lessons that Kurt was supposed to start that past Friday. There was only going to work and maybe seeing Blaine if Don wasn’t around.

It felt like the ‘90s. Kurt was stuck talking to his boyfriend solely _on the phone_ for maybe an hour every night, if that. Eventually, Burt walked in the room and confiscated his cell phone, and laptop, and Kindle, and anything else that could be used to contact the outside world. Kurt was surprised his dad hadn’t taken the cable box, too.

In a weird way, it felt good to actually do something stupid with his friends and get in trouble for once. He was so used to being vanilla that even Burt seemed proud he had to punish his teenager.

But they probably wouldn’t be sneaking out to parties again anytime soon.

Probably.

“What can I say? We wanted to have some fun together before life kicked back into gear and we did have fun. Even if Nick’s mom called my father to tell on us, it was worth it.”

Mercedes shook her head. “Parents.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So, the schedule…” Rachel reminded him. Kurt nodded and reached for it.

“Well, I have some pretty interesting classes to start of the semester. French will be easy to get through, and then of course there are the other basic core subjects like Math and English…”

Mercedes adjusted the laptop screen. “What are your fun classes?”

Kurt smiled. “I won’t know how much _fun_ they are until I’m there. This place seems pretty strict. But I am looking forward to Dance, Improvisation, Scene & Costume Design, and of course Chorus. I doubt it’ll be anything like glee club but Blaine is in the band and he’s drummer so I get to see him. Hopefully I’ll _actually_ get solos.”

Rachel made a face. “Is that a stab at me?”

“Do you see any competition?” Mercedes ignored her and asked the next question.

Kurt smiled. “There’s this guy Hunter who appears to be the alpha at Pace. He seems cool, though. In a very strange way.”

“Is that the Hunter that Nick said has a cat at school?” Rachel questioned. Mercedes laughed until she realized she was serious.

Kurt only shrugged with a smile. “I heard the same but I won’t believe it until I see it.”

“What about Blaine’s classes?” Rachel asked. “Do you guys see each other a lot? Maybe that’ll help when you’re on punishment which’ll probably be often, Mr. Rebel.”

Kurt smiled. “I see him during Math, Lunch, Chorus/Band, and Improv. Which is pretty good seeing as his major is different. But my concern is getting him to focus and do well so that we can go to Rome! It’s freaking Rome. But he hates school.”

Mercedes shook her head. “He hates normal school. This one will be different. He loves music and now you’re there…”

Rachel nodded, playing with her pajama top.

Kurt looked at them through his computer screen. “I hope you’re right.”

After three knocks sounded on the door, Kurt sighed. He checked the time and knew it was his dad coming to get his electronics. The girls pouted a bit but waved goodnight.

“Tell us how your first day went!”

Kurt smiled and nodded. “I will try. Bye girls.”

“Love you,” Mercedes blew kisses, as did Rachel, and they disconnected from the Skype call. Burt stepped in and looked at his son.

“It’s time.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, though he smiled and nodded. “I know… can I…?”

“You have thirty seconds.” Burt leant against the doorway and gave his son ‘the’ look. “Literally thirty seconds.”

Kurt quickly grabbed his phone and dialed the number. His boyfriend answered on the second ring.

“Hey beautiful.”

Kurt smiled as he gathered his laptop and Kindle. “Hey handsome. I just wanted to say goodnight and that I love you.”

He could hear Blaine smiling, even though Burt scoffed from behind him. “I love you more, gorgeous. I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning.”

Kurt nodded. “Bye Blaine. Don’t forget your violin… Leonard Riley won’t be pleased.”

“I’ll remember it,” Blaine blew a kiss. “Goodnight baby.”

With a sigh, Kurt hung up the phone. He handed his things over to the elder Hummel and sat down on his bed. “Goodnight father.”

Burt nodded and started to pull the door closed. “Do your face cream thing and get some rest. Big first day tomorrow.”

Kurt nodded and lay back on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling and Burt closed the door.

“Big first day,” Kurt repeated to himself.

….

Blaine smiled as he hung up the phone and sat back on his sofa. Jeff took a handful of popcorn as Cooper sat on the recliner.

“So does mom know you got your ears pierced?”

Blaine put his feet on the coffee table. “I doubt she’d care. They’re my ears.”

“Can you two shut up? The movie is getting good,” Jeff slurped soda from his straw and Blaine grabbed some popcorn.

“Hm,” Cooper stretched. “Well you both have school in the morning so maybe we should wrap it up.”

Blaine looked at his older brother. “It’s 9’oclock.”

Cooper nodded. “I know what time it is…”

Jeff checked how much time was left. “We’ll go to bed as soon as this movie is over, promise. One more hour.”

Cooper looked at them. “So he’s spending the night?”

Blaine lifted an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“Well it is a school night—“

“I’m 17 years old, CJ. You’re 8 years older than I am. You’re not here to boss me around, ok?”

Jeff sat stiff as he looked away from the television to Cooper. The man only nodded and looked away.

“Understood.”

Blaine sat back and looked at the screen. He knew later on, Jeff was going to tell him that he should apologize for snapping at his brother and some other bullshit to go along with it but he didn’t care. Kurt was on punishment, Nick was on punishment, Justin was out of the freaking state and David was starting at college. Everything was changing and he hated that.

Blaine reached for his cell phone and stared at the picture on his lock screen. He smiled and kissed it before looking back up at the television. Regardless of how shitty he felt, it seemed like it had the potential to be a pretty good school year.


	2. Welcome to Pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey!
> 
> So I'm throwing this out there to see how people respond to it. I'm thinking that I'm going to have a few time jumps throughout the school year but I'll try to do it so that you won't miss a beat. It's very unlike me to leave holes open but if this story has any chance of progressing then I will have to advance things. Anywho, this is day one at Pace. Please enjoy this and leave a comment at the end. Recommend to a friend? Thank you all. Love you guys.

**Chapter 2 - Welcome to Pace**

****

So the day had finally arrived.

After all the freaking out about not getting in and fears of inadequacy and being blackmailed by old friends of Blaine's uncle—after a ridiculously crazy summer, Kurt Hummel finally stood on the Pace High School of the Performing Arts campus for his first day of school. He looked up at the newly renovated building and took a deep breath. This was the place that he'd call a home away from home for his senior year. It was a place that he'd have to put a lot of hard work and sweat into if he wanted any of his dreams to become a reality, and Kurt Hummel was so ready for his dreams to become a reality.

He looked around campus as students walked past him and his friends. Many of them gave him a curious once over and he thought that it was because he was the new guy on the block. It could have been something to do with how tight his Paul Smith red and black printed pants were fitting him (at least that's what his boyfriend thought and had said repeatedly as he stared at guys walking by whose eyes were in places they didn't need to be) but Kurt didn't focus on that. He smiled at the student life and how it was abuzz with excitement for the upcoming year and knew that this was going to be one full of potential.

Sure, he'd miss most of his friends at McKinley, and he would wish them the best for their senior year when they'd start in September, but he wasn't sad at all. This was where he needed to be.

If only Blaine had five percent of his enthusiasm. That would probably help things out a bit.

Jeff pocketed his cell phone as he looked at Blaine. The boy's hazel eyes looked very disinterested as he sat on top of his Lexus next to his violin, scanning faces of his new peers as they passed. His red beanie was pulled low on his head and matched with the red Giuseppe sneakers he wore. He thought that if Justin and David were around, they'd flail about the way their OTP had unintentionally matched their outfits together, but he and Nick thought it was totally disgusting.

Blaine held the straps of his book bag tightly as he looked up at the school now.

Five more minutes.

There were only five minutes before he was no longer a free man and had to slave away at this school for the next ten months. Of course Cooper reminded him that Pace had its perks: he'd be getting to do something he loved doing and could make a future out of—if he didn't want to have a career in BMX riding that was. There was also the fact that he'd be going to school with his closest friends and the boy he was in love with. Cooper told him that with David and Justin graduating from JFK High School, he'd be the only one from Legacy there, and there'd be no one to watch him because Blaine would no doubt get into trouble. Blaine rolled his eyes at that, of course. He wasn't a trouble maker at all; he just had no finish solving problems once they were started.

"I can't tell if people are staring at us or you guys," Nick said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'd really like for it to be you guys, though."

Kurt turned to look at him and Nick shrugged.

"I've never been one for attention. Well, not for my personal life. No disrespect."

"No," Kurt smiled at him. "It's fine. I'm sure all of the looks will pass after today, right? Something new and exciting will happen and they won't care about Blaine and I going here or how you two are dating each other now. Right?"

Jeff watched his ex-girlfriend laughing with some of her friends as they walked into the school. He didn't know if she saw them standing there but if she did, she sure didn't react much. Hopefully things wouldn't be as awkward as he imagined they'd be between him and Victoria.

"Maybe," Nick said, shrugging again. "I just want people to mind their own business."

"Well you go to a school full of drama majors like yourself. Gossip is inevitable," Blaine moved forward from where he sat on the hood of his car and grabbed Kurt, pulling him back against him. After the initial scare wore off, his boyfriend hit him on the arm, but Blaine ignored it and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "If people don't learn to shut up, you make them."

"Things don't work like that here," Jeff told him quickly, eyeing the biker. "You can't just punch someone like you did Peter without any consequences."

"I never punched Peter at school. I didn't really have to fight at school so leave me alone."

Kurt sat back between his boyfriend's legs and shook his head at the conversation. "Blaine won't have any fights or get into any trouble because he already knows that he won't be getting any sex for a month if that happens."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"And that's only my punishment. Who knows what Clarissa and Don and my dad will come up with?"

Nick smiled at his best friend's face. "We may as well go inside now so that I can show you guys where your lockers are before class."

Kurt nodded but Blaine shook his head no, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck. Jeff picked up his skateboard and stretched; his t-shirt rising a little. This was it. This was the moment that would mark the start of their hopefully memorable in the best way possible senior year together at a really good school and Kurt could hardly wait.

He got up and followed Nick and Jeff, not even bothering to turn around when Blaine didn't get up from his seat on the hood of his sedan. His boyfriend tended to be a little pissy when he didn't have Kurt's complete attention, but he'd get over it today.

Blaine groaned and fixed his floral pattern t-shirt over the back of his shorts when he got up. Slowly, he followed the three boys over to the building and up the steps. He said goodbye to his summer and hello to what would be his last year of hell.

Well, before his family forced him to apply to colleges, of course.

"Ok, so you've seen the lobby," Jeff pointed at the display case with all the trophies and framed pictures of alumni. "It's a very celebrated school. Yadda yadda. You've seen the auditorium. The senior class's lockers start at Hall C which is this way…."

Nick tuned out of the conversation to turn around and look for Blaine. His friend was slowly walking into the entrance, looking down at his cell phone and ignoring the eyes of his schoolmates watching him. It wasn't like he wasn't used to getting stares as of late. The endorsements he got from his sport and the magazine shoots were probably cause of that—oh, and of course the fact that he'd come out in a relationship with a young man too. He couldn't give a damn about who had what to say about it, either.

Nick turned to watch Jeff and Kurt walk off as he waited for his best friend. When Blaine was by his side, he nudged the kid in the shoulder. "Phone away. Hat off. Don't bullshit this opportunity away. At least pretend to want to be here and the school year will go by that much quicker."

Blaine looked at him and rolled his eyes before putting his cell phone in his pocket. Just then, one of the deans walked by and gestured to his hat.

"Welcome to Pace Mr. Anderson. We don't wear hats indoors here, so please…"

Blaine pulled it off and the man smiled before walking away. Nick shook his head and jogged through the chatty student body to find his boyfriend and Kurt. Blaine watched him go as he ran his hands through his curls and fluffed them a bit. He put the beanie halfway into his pocket and let part of it hang out just as he felt someone brush against him.

"Blaine Anderson," Liam moved the coffee cup from his lips as he saw him and smiled warmly. Needless to say, the student didn't return it. "It's good seeing you here at Pace. There's a lot of talk about how impressive you are from a lot of eyes in high places so I hope you don't screw that up."

Blaine smiled now as he turned to walk in the direction the others went. A few girls waved at him but he ignored it as he replied to Liam, clutching his violin case as he spoke. "I have a question for you, Liam."

Liam fixed his bag as he walked beside the teen. "Well then shoot. I'm all ears."

The warning bell rang for class and Blaine watched people look down at their schedules. "If I were to call you a piece of shit, hypothetically speaking, would you be able to get me suspended or anything like that?"

Liam stopped walking and smiled as his eyes found Blaine's. Blaine knew he'd never like the look behind those eyes and he hated the thought that they looked at Kurt in any way. "Now you know I'm just a mere TA, Blaine. I come here for the college credits and to meet lovely young talent like you. And you know, hopefully help pour into that talent. You can call me whatever you'd like. My skin is pretty thick."

Blaine stared at him.

"Oh," before walking away, the TA smiled and turned back to Blaine. "I've gotta rush, but please tell Kurt that he looks fantastic for me? I love the pants." Liam winked and walked away now, whistling as he went. Some of the students watched with a smile, obviously fawning over how hot he was or how talented he was. Who cared? Blaine only cared about shutting the guy up to be completely honest, but he knew that wouldn't be able to happen without him getting into a shit load of trouble.

At least not in the way Blaine wanted to shut him up.

"Blaine!" Jeff shouted over the noise of the student body on the school's first floor. "C'mon man, we're gonna be late."

The rider sighed and ran over to his friend, following him over to Hall C. Kurt smiled when he saw him and gestured to the locker.

"We're not next to each other sadly, but this one is yours. And it's right next to my first period class. …You better put my picture up inside of it."

Blaine looked at the locker numbered 124 and took Kurt's hand. "Where's yours?"

Kurt pointed down the hall to where Nick was standing, talking to a couple friends. "It's right where they are. Number 139…"

Blaine nodded. "It's kinda far from me. I'll ask whoever my neighbor is if you can switch with them."

Kurt smiled as he looked at Blaine; his boyfriend watching their surroundings. "That won't be necessary. You'll probably want your space at some point. Believe it or not, we'll get tired of one another in a week or so."

Blaine looked at Jeff as he walked up again and the blonde spoke. "I'm going to class, guys. You idiots can be late to your first period if you want to. Later," he dropped his board and flew down the hall, eliciting an eye roll from Blaine.

"He can skate in the hall but the dean gets mad at me for wearing a hat?"

Kurt's face changed. "The dean got mad at you?"

"Hey," Nick came back over and patted Kurt's back, looking at his best friend. "We need to get going to English… like pronto."

Blaine nodded and looked at Kurt, pulling him closer to steal a kiss. "I'll see you in Math, ok?"

Kurt smiled as the late bell rang and pecked his boyfriend's cheek, knowing that a lot of people were watching. "I'll see you. Promise me you'll behave?"

Blaine nodded. "I will. It's not like I can text you during class since you're on punishment…"

Kurt laughed. "I love you, baby. Later…" he turned and waved goodbye to Nick before walking into the classroom. Hunter zoomed past them out of breath and followed in after Kurt and Nick smiled, wrapping his arm around his best friend.

"Second floor English class is our first stop, asshole. You ready?"

Blaine sighed and nodded as they entered the staircase. "Sure. Bring it on."

….

"Now that everyone is settled in, I want you to take a look at the curriculum for this semester. I'll be handing everyone out a copy of the student syllabus and I would like it if you paid close attention to the content we'll cover over these first couple weeks."

Nick glanced over at Blaine who already appeared to have checked out mentally.

It was only first period.

"So take the first copy and pass it back," their English teacher Ms. McCall stopped in front of Blaine's desk and handed the teen a few copies. She smiled when he looked up and gestured to his cell phone, making the rider sigh before pocketing it. "I'd love to formally welcome you to Pace, Mr. Anderson. I happen to be a big fan of you and your friend here," she looked at Nick who was smiling, "but, that doesn't mean you'll be able to get away with anything I don't let others get away with young man."

Blaine nodded as he took one of the packets and passed the others behind him. He watched the teacher smile and walk away, handing out the rest as Nick turned and smirked at him.

"She's really a big softie. And I'm not just saying that because she's hot," Nick listened as the teacher said a few more things before turning back to his best friend, "Jeff had her last year and said she was the most easy going Language Arts teacher on earth."

Blaine hummed and looked up to the front of the classroom. Ms. McCall tried getting this quiet Asian girl to read and struggled to hear as she started. "I'm not sitting in the front with you tomorrow. I can't play 2048 in class if I sit in the front."

Nick shrugged. "You're not supposed to play 2048 in class. And if you sit in the front, you'll be more likely to pay attention and less likely to flunk, don't you think?"

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Nick followed along on the paper, "I'm really good in English class. You should want to sit next to me."

"Mr. Duval," the teacher held a finger to her lips and smiled at him. Blaine heard his friend apologize as he sat up straighter, looking down at the syllabus.

"I'm sorry Ms. McCall. Sorry Kiri."

Kiri, the really quiet Asian girl nodded at the apology and continued to read. The teacher looked down at the paper as well.

Blaine sighed. It was only 25 minutes into his new school year and he was already bored with life. He already missed the summer and riding and being on the beach, making out with his boyfriend at all times and driving to Los Angeles to hang out. The only thing that he was looking forward to was having four classes with Kurt…. and skipping whatever class he had while Kurt was in dance so that he could watch him dance. He checked his schedule and frowned when he saw that it was Orchestra. Leonard Riley would probably have something to say about that.

Buzz.

Blaine looked up at his teacher and she was explaining something to her class. He quickly snuck his phone out of his pocket and slunk down in his seat to check who the message was from.

From Kurt:

Mon professeur veut que nous parlons seulement français pendant son cours.

Blaine put the cell phone on silent as he lifted an eyebrow, trying to translate. Then he realized that Kurt had his freaking cell phone and that confused him even more. He was on punishment still so why would Burt give him his phone? And more importantly, would he get to keep his phone all night? Because… that would be really, really nice.

From Kurt:

That means my teacher only wants us to speak in French while we're in her class.

"I'm not big on pop quizzes, but if I feel it's necessary…"

"Booooo," one of the students in the back of the class joked. The teacher smiled. Blaine tried his best to hide what he was doing as he replied.

To Kurt:

YOU HAD YOUR PHONE THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN"T TELL ME? You can really be a jerk when you want to, you know that?

My English teacher doesn't want me to be on my phone in class and Nick insisted we sit in the front row. SMH. But you're going to have to let me hear more of this French… later on maybe? Before dad gets home…

Blaine hid his cell phone underneath his notebook and pretended to pay attention. Ms. McCall continued rambling about the Shakespeare sonnets they'd begin with and Nick started sketching on his syllabus. Other students appeared to be interested but were no doubt putting up a front just as Blaine was.

From Kurt:

My dad let me have it in case of emergencies. I think he's easing up a little, though. I've been pretty good with the whole punishment thing. You know, besides that one time I snuck you in. But after that I've behaved.

Oh, and I'll consider it mon amour. ;) Don't let me distract you, though. I'll see you next period for Math, cutie.

He licked his lips at the thought of getting Kurt alone. It had been a long time since they'd had time to themselves and Blaine was determined to find a place in Pace that was vacant or abandoned or something just to… relieve a little tension during times like these. There was also the option of sneaking out to his car during their lunch period but even with his tinted windows he knew that was a bad idea.

To Kurt:

I'll see you baby boy.

Blaine put his phone away and ran a hand through his hair. "How many more minutes?"

Nick looked at his watch. "Only ten. Hey… we shouldn't have any homework after school with it being the first day and all… do you want and the boys want to—"

"So, for your first homework assignment," Ms. McCall walked to the board as the class groaned. Blaine rolled his eyes but grabbed his pen to write it down.

"I was going to ask if you guys wanted to go to the indoor skate park out of town but I guess not."

Blaine looked up and saw the teacher had only written that they had to do some research for homework. He started to pack his things away after he'd copied it down. "We'll see how much we all have to do at the end of the day, I guess. Can we get out of here?"

Nick smiled. "I know you pretty much walked out of class whenever you wanted in your old school but here, we wait for the bell."

Blaine smiled. "Whatever, man."

….

"I just want you to know that you don't have to sit next to me in every class, Hunter. I know I'm new here and all—"

"No, it's cool. I'm taking you under my wing." Hunter fixed his tie as the duo walked through the noisy halls. "We—oh shit hide me, that's my ex..." he ducked behind Kurt as they continued to walk and Kurt made a confuse face as the girl glared at the both of them.

"She's looking right at us, Hunter."

Hunter urged them along before popping up again. "Ok, whatever. As I was saying, you and I need to be in tip top shape… we need to be on the same accord. I mean you're my right hand man—"

"What're you talking about?" Kurt nudged the teen away with a smile. "I thought we were competitors. Remember you said that at the foam party? And you're going to make me late for my math class."

Hunter smiled. "I thought that over. We can spend all year fighting for solos or we could work together and win all of our competitions. I'm trying to get into a fancy college and I need another trophy under my belt. The big one won in Rome would be fantastic… hey are you stopping by your locker before class or…?"

Kurt pulled out his cell phone as he shook his head no. "No need to. I'm going to have to go to the first floor for the math department right?"

Hunter nodded. "Yup. Go right beneath us. I'll see you in Dance class, don't be late."

Kurt smiled and waved goodbye. He tried to ignore all the looks he got as he went into the stairwell. People had been staring since he and Blaine showed up for school that morning and it wasn't anything he wasn't used to since meeting Blaine. Just like the countertenor told Nick, people would move on with their lives after the first few days.

Kurt walked onto the first floor and gasped as he was picked up and whirled around. He saw Nick first, smirking and rolling his eyes at the both of them before Blaine pushed him against the lockers.

"I missed you."

Kurt giggled and rolled his eyes. "I missed you too. Let me go so we can get to class, Anderson."

Blaine stole a kiss before dragging him away. "You sure you don't want to skip Math? Maybe we can go behind the bleachers and make out…"

Kurt ignored him as people watched the couple walk by. "So, Nicholas. How was English?"

Blaine smirked. "Fine. Ignore me. I'll remember this later." He pinched Kurt's side and laughed when his boyfriend swung at him, dodging the hit.

"It was okay I guess. We've got a pretty easy going teacher. Better than our math teacher…" he looked back at Kurt and gestured to the old man standing outside their math classroom. "I hear this guy is a Grade A dick."

Blaine straightened his shirt as he listened to their conversation. Kurt smiled and shook his head. "What makes you say that? I thought the teachers here were pretty professional according to you and your boyfriend…"

Nick nodded. "I mean they are. But I've heard that this guy goes out of his way to remind us that we aren't so special, despite being in a specialized school. A senior that graduated last year told me that Mr. Hayward thinks the students in Pace are spoiled and privileged and that's why he goes out of his way to give us the hard work that he does."

Blaine looked at the older man and they made eye contact. Mr. Hayward's face changed as his brown eyes started to smirk.

"How honored am I to have the famous Blaine Anderson in my class?"

Kurt stopped at the entrance of the classroom and looked at his boyfriend. Blaine didn't react.

Nick sighed and forced a smile. "Hello Mr. Hayward. This is Kurt Hummel, he's new here as well—"

"I've heard of Mr. Hummel," the man crossed his arms. "I've seen your transcript and you appeared to be a decent student. I want you to know I'll be expecting a lot from you."

Kurt smiled. His grades were more than decent. "Thank you, Mr. Hayward."

The late bell rang and Blaine took Kurt's hand and led them into the classroom. Their math instructor stared at the action and Nick cleared his throat, walking in afterwards.

….

From Jeff:

I had Hayward in my sophomore year but I transferred out. He was just too much for me.

Kurt read the text as Blaine showed him it and shrugged. He was pretty sure this guy was going to be a handful but he wasn't going to let that deter him from doing the best he could. No one was going to stand in the way of him and NYADA, especially not some elderly teacher with an attitude.

Blaine put his cell phone away as he looked at his boyfriend again. Kurt had given him some lip when he dragged them to the back of the classroom to sit but eventually he shut up. He took the moment now to admire his boyfriend's outfit again and licked his lips while staring at Kurt's. He wondered if it would be a bad idea to beg Burt to ease up on Kurt's punishment. They all had learned their lesson and he wasn't a fan of going another weekend without getting to see his boyfriend. Burt would probably yell at him if he showed up at the shop—

"Mr. Anderson? Can you maybe answer the question that this lovely young lady can't answer?"

The Hispanic girl rolled her eyes away and went back to looking at her text book. Blaine hadn't been paying an ounce of attention and he knew that Hayward knew that, but he glanced at the math problem on the board and cleared his throat.

"After you move everything over to one side so that the equation is equal to 0, you'll have a perfect square trinomial."

Nick stared at the board trying to follow along, and Kurt turned to look at Blaine as he spoke.

"You can then square root 49 to get 7 which can be doubled to get 14 which is the coefficient of 'x'…. Next you factor that as a square equal to 0 and you get x= -7."

Nick turned around and smirked before facing their teacher again. Hayward looked half impressed and half upset that he'd actually gotten it right. There was no doubt that Blaine wasn't paying an ounce of attention all class long so that meant he obviously knew what the hell he was doing.

"Very good. I'm shocked. Now, for homework…"

The class moaned and Hayward smiled at the harmonious sound. "Ah, that sounds like a room full of performance art majors."

Kurt tried to hide his smile as he sent a text message.

From Kurt:

That was very sexy. I may need to be tutored after school some days…

Blaine smiled when he read the message and turned to wink at his boyfriend.

"I should point out that homework and test grades will be the biggest percentage of your grades."

Kurt sighed. So maybe Nick had a point. This guy seemed like he was going to be a pain in the neck.

Blaine didn't seem too bothered. His math was good and as long as he showed up to class he'd be fine. Kurt and Nick wouldn't really let him skip class so there was that.

….

For third period, the boys were split up, except for Jeff and Kurt. They had their dance class along with Hunter and apparently it was an advanced class. Kurt wasn't sure if he should ask if a mistake was made or not, but Jeff told him he'd be fine.

"You have a dancer's body. Blaine says you're very flexible. You'll catch on quickly."

Hunter smiled and Kurt looked away from the both of them. This is what he had to look forward to all semester.

Their dance teacher was a hot 20 something guy from Costa Rica. He asked that all of his students call him by his first name 'Frankie'. Most of the students in the class were familiar with him and Hunter gave Kurt the 4-1-1 on the guy.

"Never forget the choreography. Never forget your dance uniform. Don't talk while he's talking or while he's showing us the moves because he hates having to repeat himself. Remember these three things and you'll be fine."

So Kurt nodded and he paid close attention to everything Frankie said, despite Liam being a TA in this class and doing what Kurt was pretty sure was flirting with him from across the room for the entire class. Also, despite having to listen to a conversation that was probably meant to be a bit quieter between Jeff and his ex-girlfriend, aka the girl he cheated on with the guy he was now dating, aka Victoria. It was probably going to be awkward having Dance class with one another but they seemed to be… at least trying.

In Blaine's period three lesson, the teenager was trying to get accustomed to his Orchestra class with Leonard Riley. Things were a bit stricter than he was used to. He didn't know what he expected from the leader of the music department but he was hoping that this wouldn't be it.

But, the rider did notice that when paid attention, time happened to fly by.

And he did love music with a passion.

Plus, Leonard Riley did seem to respect him. That was more than he could say about any of the teacher's he had before. Blaine looked at the sheet music in front of him as the girl beside him tuned her violin.

"Is this your first time playing in an Orchestra?"

He looked at her and nodded. "It is. What's your name?"

"Dani," she smiled and looked up at Mr. Riley. "I have French with your boyfriend first period… he's fucking hot."

Blaine smiled now, looking back at their instructor as well. "I know."

"I just want to warn you. John over there on the bass has been eyeing you."

Blaine looked in the bass section and sure enough, a boy with tall brown hair and golden eyes was staring back. "His boyfriend is the red head on the viola and trust me he's the jealous type. Beware."

Blaine smirked now, turning to the brunette on his right. "I'm shaking in my boots. Now stop paying attention to thirsty guys and pay more attention to our teacher, Dani."

She smiled and nodded.

Leonard Riley held up his hands and gestured for them to begin, and like Blaine thought early, time pretty much went by. He paid the bassist no attention and did pretty much perfect on his violin piece. Hopefully he could keep a low profile and breeze through this class.

….

To Blaine:

You know how you told me that I should let you know if I feel weird about Liam?

From Blaine:

Yes. What happened?

Kurt nodded to the red head who took a seat next to him, letting him know the seat was free. His English teacher was a glorified hippie who spent the first 15 minutes of class venting to everyone about how he'd gotten his girlfriend pregnant again. They hadn't touched a syllabus or even discussed what they'd be learning or anything remotely reminiscent of what one does with a class on their first day.

"Blaine's boyfriend, right?" the red head asked.

Kurt nodded. "Kurt Hummel."

"I'm Zach. Nice to meet you."

Kurt nodded. "Nice to meet you as well."

"I have a few classes with Blaine so far. It's good to see other out students here at Pace. There's a pretty good LGBT representation here at the school."

Kurt smiled at him. "It's good to have a place we can feel safe."

Zach nodded.

From Blaine:

Baby?

Kurt looked down at his phone and replied.

"That's what I love about America," the teacher rambled on. "It truly is the land of the free."

Someone snored in front of the class and Kurt shook his head.

To Blaine:

Well I just wanted to keep you in the know. He's my TA in dance and I don't know… he was kind of flirty today. Nothing too serious but enough to make me want to tell you.

From Blaine:

I don't want to get worked up in class. Tell me everything during Lunch okay?

To Blaine:

Alright baby. How's Italian class so far?

"So how long have you two been together?"

Kurt smiled. "A couple months. Still in the honeymoon phase."

Zach nodded. "My boyfriend goes here as well. We're both music majors... his name is John. Let me know if you have any questions."

"I appreciate that a lot, Zach. Thanks." Kurt smiled softly as the boy nodded and looked up at their teacher.

"Never let someone tell you that you can't do it, students. You can do it!"

Kurt shook his head.

From Blaine:

It's ok. We have to speak Italian all the time here as well so I'll need to brush up. I can't stop thinking about you though…

Kurt smiled at the message.

From Blaine:

The guys want to go to an indoor skate park after school. Are you game?

"Now, I want you all to write about what you did over the summer."

"Are we in fourth grade or are we high school seniors, Mr. Rodney?"

"Shut up, Melissa!" another girl elbowed her in the side and she winced.

Kurt shook his head at his classmates and typed a quick message.

To Blaine:

If you want to I'll tag along. Only if we can bring Mikey with us… I miss my little boyfriend.

From Blaine:

Hmph. Give me 15 kisses and we've got a deal.

Kurt smiled, pulling out a piece of paper and beginning to write.

This summer, I was reacquainted with the one who was made for me…

….

Fifth period lunch class was interesting. Nick and Jeff had to get used to the all of the questions from their friends. They felt bad for their ex-girlfriends who were in the same lunch period and had to deal with all the weird looks when the guys they usually sat with sat across the room.

You know, because they were together now.

Jeff also had to get used to watching guys hit on Victoria. It wasn't that he was jealous or anything, he just realized he still had a bit of possessiveness inside of him over her that would hopefully disappear soon. You know, before Nick could notice.

Kurt didn't seem to be a fan of the menu. Blaine seemed genuinely confused because the food looked nothing like it did in your normal public schools… it looked edible. And appetizing, might he add. But Kurt shook his head no when they stood on line and Blaine decided he wouldn't eat either.

"We can go somewhere if you want, babe. We have forty minutes to be back inside."

Kurt nodded. "That's a good idea. Then I can tell you about what happened in dance class."

So they left the building after explaining to Nick and Jeff that they'd be going to Oliver's Salad Bar on East 3rd Street. Nick nodded okay and Jeff asked for them to stop and buy him nachos from somewhere on the way back. They ignored him.

Only Blaine realized once they were in the car that his boyfriend had totally played him…

"Shit, Hummel… oh god—"

"You're already hard, baby," Kurt smiled as his hand played at the bulge over his boyfriend's cargo shorts. He kissed his neck and started to suck lightly while palming him.

Blaine bit his lip and thought about driving away from the school parking lot. He didn't know how safe it was to mess around here with teachers going and coming back from lunch themselves.

"I went so long without getting to touch you," Kurt started to climb into his boyfriend's lap and pushed the seat back, "and you haven't even gotten to enjoy these piercings…"

Blaine's eyes went wide when Kurt pulled his Polo off. They trailed down from his lips, over his chest, and he placed his hands at the boy's waist as he saw the two studs on each side.

"God, baby…let's just go home…"

Kurt smiled and leant in to kiss him, making no effort to hide how horny he was as he grinded into the rider's lap. Blaine bit on Kurt's bottom lip and began to grope his ass.

So maybe school wouldn't be so bad.

"Mm, let me give you a hickey," Kurt whispered, slowly grinding his hips. "And then let me suck you off right here…"

"Kurt," Blaine almost pinched himself to see if he was dreaming, "are you sure you want to… here? We're in the parking lot…"

When he didn't get a vocal answer, he took it as a yes when his boyfriend's hands were in his pants. Not that he minded at all because this was pretty fucking awesome. Seriously. He bit his lip as Kurt sucked on his neck, far above the collar of his floral shirt where he knew Kurt knew that everyone would be able to see, and tried his best not to cum in his pants before Kurt's soft lips could even touch him.

After a minute, Blaine's shirt was lifted and his eyes were closing as Kurt started to kiss down his chest. He kissed over his tattoo and then over his nipples, biting teasingly and making some really obscene noises as he got lower and lower.

And then he was pulling at Blaine's belt buckle and sucking hickeys over his waist line and Blaine was pretty sure he had the best boyfriend on earth.

"Je veux que tu baises ma bouche aussi fort que vous le pouvez," Kurt purred before licking at the head of his boyfriend's cock. Blaine's eyes darkened as he watched.

"I've no idea w-what you just said but fuck me, it was hot."

"I said," Kurt smiled and forced his boyfriend's hands into his hair—something that was totally uncharacteristic of him. Not that Blaine minded in the slightest. "I need you to fuck my mouth— hard. Can you do that for me, daddy?"

Blaine nodded hard as he forced Kurt to deep throat him; eyes rolling back at the feeling. He thought about giving warning that he wouldn't last very long but he couldn't exactly speak, and he knew Kurt knew that anyway.

All in all, school wasn't so bad, and as he predicted, lunch period would be his favorite.

….

"What time is it?"

Blaine checked his Rolex as Kurt got the change from paying for their lunch. "Twenty to 12. I'll speed back to school, don't worry."

Kurt nodded and turned to face his boyfriend after he grabbed their bags. "I wish we had more time so I could give you another blowjob." he pouted and turned to leave and Blaine smiled, following after him.

"So what happened with your favorite TA?"

Kurt held the door and smiled as Blaine turned to face him, pulling out his car keys with the Mickey Mouse keychain. "He is far from my favorite anything. But every time I looked up, I did catch him staring and he makes the 'Liam' face and I don't know. I don't want you to get in trouble for saying anything or doing anything that you shouldn't be doing—"

"Like what?" Blaine asked sarcastically. Kurt rolled his eyes and got into the car.

"You know, like hitting him."

Blaine smiled and started up the vehicle. "You know what babe, I'm going to be the grown up. He can look all he wants, but he can't touch. If he even tries anything or looks like he wants to try anything then I reserve the right to hit him."

Kurt glared at his boyfriend. The car moved and he shook his head. "I don't want you to get in trouble. This is why I didn't want to say anything."

Blaine ignored him. "This morning, he told me to tell you that he liked your pants. Then he winked at me. If I was going to get in any trouble, I would've done something right there. But I didn't, because I know guys like him want to see me screw up and more importantly I know that you don't."

Kurt sighed while they drove down the East 3rd street. "If we both ignore him, he'll get bored and move onto someone else."

"Doubt it. Have you seen you?" Blaine smirked. "Not only are you beautiful but you're smart and you're everything, Kurt."

Kurt looked at him.

"Ignore it, though. Unless it gets out of control, then I'll have to handle it. And don't forget that I have Jeff in that class as well. If you want to withhold information, my friend won't."

Kurt smiled and sat back. "I love you, knucklehead."

"I know you do," Blaine blew his boyfriend a kiss. "Now hold on tight so that I can get us back on time."

….

Their 6th period class was together. Blaine was annoyed because Hunter wouldn't stop talking to Kurt.

Oh, and Liam was the TA naturally.

But the good thing was Blaine was here so he could see all of the bullshit going on for himself. There was nothing like a firsthand account.

Leonard Riley gave this grand speech to the chorus. Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's seat as they sat in the auditorium. He watched his boyfriend texting Justin and listened to all their teacher was saying.

"I'm assigning the songs we'll be learning for the first month. At the beginning of each week we'll be giving the band their sheet music and the choir the lyrics to the songs that'll be performed. Sometimes you'll be assigned solos, sometimes duets. During this time I am evaluating you all and deciding who will be our lead singers."

"That's you cutie," Blaine whispered into Kurt's ear. His boyfriend smiled.

"I hope so."

Hunter raised his hand to say something but Leonard Riley paid the teen no attention as he continued to speak. He huffed and looked away.

"I want to welcome our new students, countertenor Kurt Hummel, drummer Blaine Anderson, his wonderful hickey, alto Alicia Winston, and alto Sonia Sanchez."

Kurt smirked as Blaine smiled widely. Liam looked at the both of them and then away. The class snickered but gave a welcome to them all.

For the most part, class only consisted of discussions and getting to know one another, as well as talking about what would be expected over the course of the year. Blaine and Kurt made a few friends too. Though they knew Riley would be strict, they knew it'd be an enjoyable class.

….

So 7th period Improvisation class was pretty funny. Their teacher was a quirky woman from NYC and she pretty much encouraged them to do the dumbest shit that came to mind. Blaine's class clown nature got to shine here which was a good release for him having to be so watered down in his other classes, or as his teachers called it, 'behaved'.

Their first exercise was simple, only Mrs. Swanson chose Blaine as the leader for whatever reason. Nick only shook his head. She explained the rules were to have the first person walk in a circle, and those after him imitate his movements. It started out decently, but before long, Blaine had the whole class twerking in a circle. Mrs. Swanson loved his innovation.

Kurt took a seat on the floor once the exercise was over and bit his lip when Blaine pulled him into his lap. He slapped his hand away and slid to sit next to him, listening as their teacher explained the next scenario.

One thing seemed certain: this class would prove to be an easy A. Kurt knew it was for the acting major Nick, and Blaine seemed to be good at improvisation since he had a ridiculously charming personality and thinking on his feet was totally necessary in getting out of trouble. Kurt had his share of acting experience as well and he was happy they'd have a course where they could learn while having a good time.

The class flew by just like the day had. Kurt walked with Blaine to his last class which was Music Tech and kissed him goodbye, only to have the boy pull him in close and kiss him again. And again. After someone whispered for them to get a room, Kurt smiled and pulled away, saying goodbye again.

"I've gotta get across the building so we need to cut this short."

Blaine nodded and leant against the doorway. "Meet me by the car so we can go pick up Mike?"

Kurt smiled and nodded. "Sure. Later honey."

"I love you," Blaine blew another kiss and watched as Kurt blushed before walking away. He could feel his teacher tapping him on the shoulder and rolled his eyes before entering the classroom.

….

From Nick:

We're going to the indoor skate park to chill after Blaine and Kurt pick up Mikey. It'll probably be crowded but the kids there will probably leave early. It's a school night and all.

Jeff read the message before looking up at his teacher. He didn't really feel up to it. It was a long day and his head was starting to hurt. Plus he had to deal with Victoria passing notes to the guy next to her in this class. He obviously liked her and she didn't seem to be telling him to back off.

Not that it was any of his business but, still. Having to see it happen wasn't cool.

And it was like everyone in class was looking at him to see if he'd react. It sucked.

From Nick:

Or we can go back to my place. The twins will be with a friend until my mom gets off work to pick them up. I told her I'd be with you guys. Do you want to come over?

"Don't think that this will be an easy grade. Don't think that this class is pointless, either. You'll need a high average in this class if you intend on being in the winter recital." Jeff's History of Dance teacher Mrs. Lannister explained. "I'll try and make it as enjoyable for you all as possible. I know that this is your last class of the day and most days you'll be burnt out by this point, but I'm going to need you to tap into yourselves and focus. Can I ask that of you?"

The class nodded and Jeff did as well. She began to hand out the syllabus as he replied.

To Nick:

I would love to do the skate park but I'm not feeling too great. I'd much rather spend some time alone. Sorry, babe.

"We'll go by the text book guys. It's as simple as that. By the end of each week, you'll be examined on what we learned."

From Nick:

Don't worry about it. We probably shouldn't be hanging out too much after school. Anyway, I'll let the guys know and we can just go back to my place.

Jeff replied with a thank you and looked to the front of the class. He saw Vickie take the pass for the bathroom and ran a hand through his hair as she darted out.

"Mrs. Lannister?"

The woman turned back and raised an eyebrow. "How can I help you, Sterling?"

"My head is killing me. May I be excused to the nurse? …He has the medicine I'm allowed to take."

The teacher quickly wrote out a pass for him as she nodded. Jeff thanked her and walked to the front of the class while many of his classmates giving him judging looks. "Try to hurry back. We're going over the syllabus, ok?"

"Sure. Thank you," he walked out of the classroom after glancing at the guy his ex-girlfriend had spent the first few minutes of class passing notes with. The guy didn't pay him much attention though.

In the hallway, Victoria had already made it all the way down the block and just about to the ladies' room before Jeff called out to her. She stopped short and turned around to see him jogging over, giving the skater an odd look before smiling.

"Hey… what's up, punk?"

Jeff smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm on my way to the nurse. Pretty sure I'm getting a wicked migraine."

The girl laughed and pushed her red hair back. "Geez, Sterling. It's the first day of classes. Wait until Wednesday, then how're you gonna feel?"

"Shut up," he smiled and leant against the wall. "I… listen, I know this is probably weird and all but," he looked up and saw Hunter walking into the boy's room—the senior giving him a knowing look that he ignored. "I just want you to know that I still want to be in your life. I still want to be your friend. And I'm sorry about everything that's happened between us—"

"Is this what you stopped me from going into the bathroom for?" she asked with a smile. "Listen, Jeff. You know that I love you and you're always going to be my friend, ok? What happened really sucked for me and for Naomi, but we can both see how the two of you feel for each other. That doesn't happen by accident."

Jeff nodded and looked at her. "I still feel like a jerk."

Vickie smiled. "It's probably because you were unfaithful and you hated my last boyfriend for the same thing…"

Jeff looked down.

"But that's in the past. You're happy, right?"

"I like Nick so much," Jeff told her. "We're going through things but… am I holding you up?" he gestured to the bathroom and she laughed a bit, nodding.

"I'll meet you outside the nurse. Go ahead, ok?"

Jeff smiled and nodded, walking away after she went inside. He thought to himself that he'd feel a lot better if he at least restored the friendships he had with Victoria and Naomi. The quicker that happened, the more likely it would be that everything would get back to normal, even though he was with Nick.

….

"So are you going to tell me how your scene and costume design class was? You keep letting me gush about Music Tech…"

"Well I've never seen you this excited for anything that had anything to do with school. I'm enjoying this," Kurt said with a laugh. He turned the radio in the car down a bit. "Of course I'm just going to expect you to make me beautiful music now though..."

Blaine bit his lip as he drove towards Mikey's school. "I guess I could work something out. But seriously, tell me about your class, gorgeous."

"Ok," Kurt sat back. "My teacher is hot. She loved my portfolio. The guy who sits next to me seems like a bit of a jerk. His name is John… I don't know I'm probably looking too much into it but everyone else seemed decent today and then there was him."

Blaine thought for a moment. John sounded familiar but he shrugged. "There's always one asshole. But what are they gonna make you guys do?"

"I think we'll end up being assigned certain scenes or costumes to design for when the school puts on a play or musical. She said something about working on sets for outside projects too, as well as costuming, so I'm looking forward to it. And we get to learn all of these techniques to boost our résumé… I can see it being something I pursue in the future."

Blaine smiled as Kurt slid his hand over his thigh. "You're going to kick ass at this school aren't you?"

"We are, Anderson. We are. And then we'll go to New York and kick ass there."

Blaine double parked outside of Mikey's elementary school so that they could wait for the boy's 3:00 dismissal. He took his foot off the brake once the car was in park and looked at his boyfriend, smiling. "How much homework do you have?"

Kurt shook his head as he watched parents and guardians wait outside. "Not much. French, Math, looking over the lyrics for Chorus. That's it. Everyone else was pretty lenient."

Blaine took his hand. "I have the most for Italian but it'll be easy. Nick and Jeff cancelled on us but we can still go to the skate park if you're up to it… if you're curfew isn't hella early."

"Hm, dad didn't say." Kurt looked at his boyfriend. "I don't want to push it of course, but if Mikey doesn't have anything to do then I say we go have a little fun at the park."

"Meh, he probably just has to have auntie sign some crap or color something and that's it. Are you going to ride my bike on the ramps?"

Kurt smiled. "I'm going to skateboard."

"Sure you are."

"What?" Kurt laughed and leaned across the center, kissing his cheek. "You think I'm boring?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I think you're perfect. I just also think you're a liar."

"Screw you too," Kurt laughed and kissed him once more. "I'll go get the little one. Don't want you getting a ticket or anything."

Blaine smacked his ass when he got out of the car. "Love you!"

"Uh huh," Kurt closed the door behind him and walked towards the schoolyard where dismissal was going on. Some of the parents seemed a little stressed and Kurt smiled, knowing one day in the future he'd be the same way. One day.

Now though, he smiled widely when he saw his little uniformed cutie walking in line with his class behind his teacher. The blonde made eye contact with him and his hazel eyes shined brightly. Kurt laughed, knowing that if he didn't walk over to where they were that Mikey would run away from his class and probably get into trouble for it, so he walked over to the little boy in his grey slacks, white button-down, and red and blue striped tie, waving as he approached.

Mikey's teacher checked names off the list as parents walked over and collected their kids. He smiled when the little boy practically bounced into Kurt's arms, trying not to laugh. "Hey sweetie!"

Mikey squeezed him tightly and looked around at his classmates, gesturing to the blue eyed teen. "This is him!"

"You must be Kurt," the teacher; a tanned, handsome guy in his early thirties walked over and smiled at the both of them. "He's told the class a lot about you. I'm Mr. Washington."

Kurt took the man's hand as Mikey hugged him, barely hanging on. "Nice to meet you Mr. Washington." He then smiled at one of the little girl's in the kindergarten class who said hello to him. "I hope it was all good things, huh?"

The teacher laughed and nodded. "Only the best."

Kurt nodded. "I know you were expecting his cousin Blaine to pick him up… he's here but he's in the car. How was he today?"

"Good." Mikey assured Kurt.

Mr. Washington smiled. "He was great. I can tell he's shy but he's also a brilliant boy and we're really excited to learn this year, aren't we?"

Mikey nodded to his teacher and then rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. "We are."

"Good," Mr. Washington patted the boy on the back. "It was lovely to meet you. Goodbye Kurt, bye Mikey!"

"Goodbye," Kurt said, hiking Mikey higher in his arms as his little friend waved to the teacher. They turned and walked to the exit and Kurt laughed as the already tight hug got even tighter.

"You're gonna squeeze me to death, buddy," Kurt joked.

"Don't ever get punished ever again," Mikey told him with a serious look on his face. "I miss seeing you a lot."

Kurt kissed his cheek and walked towards his boyfriend's car. "I know. I'm sorry; I will stay out of trouble. Promise."

"Pinky swear."

Kurt nodded and linked their pinkies, kissing Mikey's small hand afterwards. "Pinky swear. Do you have homework?"

Blaine got out of the car and went to the other side to open the door for them.

"I don't know," Mikey said.

That probably meant yes.

"Well we're going to check to see if you do and then if we all finish our work early, we'll go hang out somewhere cool. And you can bring your big boy bike."

"After Kurt gives me my 15 kisses," Blaine said once they got to the car. He fixed his beanie before Mikey smiled and jumped into his arms; the little boy laughing at the way his big cousin tickled him. Kurt smiled as he watched the two goobers.

"Look at his uniform," Blaine said with a laugh. "You look ridiculous."

"He looks very handsome and dapper," Kurt told him. "One of the private schools in Ohio wears the same type of uniform, though they have blazers with a 'D' on it."

Mikey smiled. "I wear it better though."

There were times where you could see exactly how much Blaine's personality rubbed off on him.

"Let's get going, boys. I need my Mikey and Blaine alone time."

Blaine smiled and let his little cousin down, putting him in the backseat of the vehicle and strapping him in. He listened to the boy start talking about how good lunch was and laughed, smiling up at Kurt who made an obvious face.

Ok. Today wasn't so bad.

….

Jeff licked his lips; hands clutched into bars of Nick's headboard. He felt a moan growing in the back of his throat and though he knew he didn't have to stay quiet, he held it in. Nick moved slowly in between his legs while he peppered kisses over his neck. He could feel Jeff holding back and started to move faster until that wasn't an option anymore.

"Shit," Jeff pulled at the headboard and his eyes rolled back. Nick smiled and looked up at him, moving slower again.

"How do you feel?"

Jeff let go of a long breath and shuddered as his boyfriend started to push his shirt up. "Incredible…"

Nick laughed a little and looked down at Jeff's abdomen. "I mean your head… is it still bothering you?"

Jeff shook his head no and sat up so that Nick could help him with his shirt. "Not really. It's barely there… I want you really bad though… mm, fuck."

Nick leant in to kiss him, stopping a second later when his phone started to ring. Jeff groaned and pulled him back into the kiss; his hands finding Nick's ass and squeezing. For a while, they went back to grinding against one another until the incessant ringing go to be too much.

"Just," Nick pulled away and tried not to smile at the annoyed look on Jeff's face. "Just let me see who it is at least?"

Jeff looked at the spot on the bed his boyfriend's phone lay and sighed. "Look… it stopped ringing. Now come on before your little sisters randomly show up like they always do…. You know you're still on punishment and I shouldn't even be here."

Nick licked his lips and grabbed the phone, ignoring Jeff. The blonde sucked his teeth and rolled over, running his fingers through his hair.

"Or you can do the opposite of what I asked."

Nick read the message a few times. "I'm sorry baby."

Jeff shrugged. "Whatever. Who is it?"

"Ashleigh," Nick sat back on the bed and looked over at his boyfriend. "I…"

"No," Jeff sat up and looked at him, a little worried. "Call her back. Like, now!"

Nick rubbed over his stubble as he dialed the number, putting the call on speaker and placing it between him and his boyfriend. He watched Jeff's face and hoped that he wasn't wearing his heart on his sleeve right now because he was pretty scared himself.

"Hello? Nick?"

Nick looked from his boyfriend down to the phone. "Ash, yeah I'm here. Hey…"

"Hey," she sounded a bit… relaxed. Jeff looked at Nick and was relieved that everything was ok. "I um, I wanted to let you know that I spoke to my parents. They don't really want me to travel back to Cali for anything on my own… especially with Brooklyn, and they're not willing to come with us."

Nick took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I figured that much."

"I do want you to meet her though. And I do want your family to get the chance to know her. I've been selfish this entire time and I don't want to have… our daughter not know you. And you not know her… it wouldn't be fair."

Nick sighed. "Thanks for that much. I didn't want you to think I was harassing you but I just want to know how she looks at least. As for meeting her, we'll work something out. If I have to visit New York I will—"

"I'm sorry again—"

"Don't worry about it," Nick told her. "I… we're just going to move forward from here. I will try and be a good dad even though I know you have your boyfriend and all…"

Jeff listened for her response.

"He's a good guy. But you are her father and I do want her to know that. Ok?"

"Yeah."

She said alright. "I'll send you a few pictures and I don't know. Maybe when I have a break from school, she and I can make our way out there. At least for a couple days? My parents will probably murder me but I do owe you that much."

Nick and Jeff were both quiet.

"If it wasn't for seeing Blaine, I don't think I would've ever told you. I'd probably let her live her life thinking something that isn't true, and I hate that I was ok with it, you know? I'm just sorry."

"Ashleigh, stop apologizing." Nick looked at his boyfriend. "It's ok because I didn't have great intentions when I found out you had a little girl either. We're both young so we'll just charge it to that and move forward. Deal?"

Jeff lay back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Deal." Ashleigh responded. "I'm going to get back to her though and send you some pictures as promised. I'll chat with you some other time then."

Nick nodded. "Thank you. And yes, we'll talk."

"Bye."

The phone call disconnected and Nick stared down at his phone. Jeff continued to look at the ceiling and licked his lips.

"You're both doing the right thing by trying. I think you should tell your mom about her granddaughter before everything piles up, though. You've been quiet about me and about Brooklyn and if she finds out about these things from anyone else but you, I'm sure she'll be hurt. I would too."

Nick looked at him.

His phone went off the next second and Jeff turned to face his boyfriend. Hesitantly, Nick picked up the phone and stared at the message's content. After a moment he started to smile as he scrolled through the photos.

Her hair was dark and her eyes were green and she had the most adorable, fat cheeks he'd ever seen. She was smiling in one of the pictures and it was easy to see she had her dad's smile. And then it dawned on Nick that he helped make this little life—this little girl was part of him. He felt like he'd missed so much of the process he was supposed to be part of and he was only going to continue to miss so much of her life.

"Baby?"

Nick looked at Jeff and handed him the phone. He smiled. "It's Brooklyn. Blaine described her perfectly."

Jeff took the phone and smiled as soon as he laid eyes on the little girl. He shook his head as he looked through all of the pictures, laughing a bit at the one where she was crying because hello, your dad is a drama major and you're going down the same path, young one. "She's beautiful. You have a little girl, babe."

Nick shook his head as it started to sink in. "Yeah… I want to meet her. I want to hold her."

Jeff sat up. "You should probably tell your mom. She may be able to help."

Nick nodded and lay back down. "I know. I'm just wondering if I want to go to her while I'm grounded and tell her that I have a kid in New York. Not really helping my situation."

Jeff smiled. He lay down next to the brunette and they both looked at the little girl. "She's gonna love you, you know."

Nick kissed his cheek. "Yeah."

….

Kurt laughed as he fell onto the wooden floor in the middle of the dome, Blaine tumbling on top of him. They could hear Mikey's hilarious laughter a couple yards away and Blaine groaned as he rolled off of his boyfriend.

"That's the last time I share a skateboard with you, mister. You could've killed us."

Kurt laughed as he crawled over to his board. "Well look at you. One day at a performing arts school and you're already as dramatic as they come."

Blaine smiled and gestured for Mikey to come over so that he could fix his helmet. "You love me."

"Always will," Kurt got up and grabbed the skateboard, mounting it again. "I think that I skate better than you BMX though."

Mikey started laughing and Blaine snorted; the two of them unable to keep their composure. Kurt folded his arms, trying to appear angry but unable to when the both of them were being Mikey and Blaine.

"Fine. Laugh all you want. I'll show the both of you."

Blaine fixed his cousin's helmet and looked at the blonde, shaking his head. "I bet I'll be the one having to do the bandaging after today, huh?"

Mikey smiled. "Kurtie can do it! Let's go get our bikes."

Blaine stood up and went over to get his. He was riding the birthday present from Kurt; his purple and gold bike that the teen had made himself, and a lot of the guys were complimenting him on it.

Kurt started to kick and push as he rode the skateboard around the dome. He coasted for a while and put his hands out on each side in a way that Blaine thought Kurt must've thought made him look cool. Mikey clapped his hands for him.

"Let's make things interesting, Hummel." Blaine sat back on his bike as Mikey knew that the smile on his cousin's face meant they were going to have big boy talk that he didn't understand yet. He got on his bike and started to ride his around the indoor park. Blaine watched him go before motioning to Kurt. "Come here."

Kurt smiled as he tried to slow down, shaking his head no. "I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"Oh, but you are." Blaine rode down into the dome, speeding up and starting to chase Kurt. His boyfriend squealed and did his best to get away without hurting himself.

"Stop!"

Blaine laughed and did a wheelie, hopping off of his bike. "Come here and I won't chase you."

Kurt stepped off of the board and jumped back, watching it continue to roll around the dome. He looked at Blaine. "What do you want?"

"Come here," Blaine repeated with a laugh. Kurt smiled and slowly swayed over to him.

"First, I'm not riding your bike on the ramp. I don't care how nicely you ask me or how much you kiss me."

"Second?" Blaine asked with a grin.

"Secondly I'm not going to mess around with you while we're alone with your little cousin so get that out of your head."

"It had nothing to do with sex so now who's the pervert?"

Kurt smiled. "You're still the pervert."

"I'll teach you a trick on the board. It's fairly simple. If you can pull it off, I'll do whatever it is that you want. If you can't, you do whatever I want."

Kurt smirked. "And this isn't about sex? Ok…"

"It doesn't have to be," Blaine put his bike down. "You'll have three tries to pull it off. If you can do it, I won't say no to whatever it is that you want."

Kurt went to climb out of the dome with Blaine as he thought about it. How hard could a little trick be? "Fine but only because I want to prove you and Mikey wrong."

Blaine laughed again and put the board down, skating forward. "It's called the Casper." When he stopped, he put it face down and placed his foot behind the back wheels. "Basically you put your right foot on the tail and your left foot underneath the bottom of the board like this."

Kurt walked over with crossed arms as he watched and listened.

"Then you're going to want to swing your body 180 degrees to your right," he demonstrated, "and jump over it like this," Blaine landed on the board easily and smiled at Kurt. "Should I show you again? It's not hard at all."

Kurt smirked and shook his head, not believing he got himself into this situation. "Show me again and then I get a practice shot."

"No practice, that wasn't part of our deal you cheater," Blaine smiled and repeated the trick as Mikey rode over. "See? Nice and easy. Don't try to be Ryan Sheckler and you should be fine."

Kurt rolled his eyes and accepted the skateboard, setting it down on his foot exactly how his boyfriend had shown him. He put his right foot on the tail and looked at Mikey before taking a deep breath.

"If I fall…"

"I'll kiss it all better." Blaine assured him.

Mikey looked at his cousin. "You should make him kiss that boo boo on your neck better too, Blainey. You said you wouldn't walk into any more cabinets…"

Kurt smiled at his boyfriend. "You're so clumsy."

Blaine rubbed over the hickey. "Just do it, Hummel."

"Ok," Kurt looked down at the board and slowly at first started to twist his body. When he jumped over it, he wobbled a little and stumbled back, just catching himself before he could you know… break his neck.

Mikey gasped as Blaine went to get the board, catching it before it rolled into the dome. "Be careful!"

Kurt laughed. "Alright I know what I did wrong. I got it this time."

Blaine smiled as he put it back down on the ground. "You're over eager. Take it easy. Relax…" Kurt placed his left foot beneath the board as he looked at Blaine. "The less you think about it the more natural it will feel."

"Hm," Kurt licked his lips. "What if you give me a good luck kiss?"

Blaine looked around the skate park and smiled. "Why would I want to help the competition?"

"Because you love the competition and if the competition wins, he's going to make you do whatever he wants and you're going to love each and every second of it."

Blaine turned to look back at Kurt and his boyfriend smirked, leaning in to whisper into his ear. "Every. Single. Second."

Mikey covered his eyes. "Come on already!"

Blaine licked his lips and kissed Kurt's cheek, followed by a kiss to his lips when the younger teen pulled away. It was soft and lasted a second longer than necessary maybe, but Kurt pulled away with a smile and a small 'thank you'. Blaine nodded; taking a few steps back and watching him get ready.

And on the second try – probably thanks to that good luck kiss – Kurt had succeeded at pulling off the Casper. His landing was a bit shaky but he landed it nonetheless, and the cocky smile he gave as he started to cabbage patch made Mikey laugh and clap loudly.

Blaine bit his lip and clapped as well – at least he tried too. Cooper joked that the kid could never quite get the hang of it – and he waited for Kurt to walk over to him before giving his congratulations. "I knew you could do it…"

Kurt laughed, carrying the black and purple skateboard. "Oh did you, Mr. I'm Your Competition?"

"Yeah," Blaine smiled. "Let me get a video of you doing that for Jeff and then maybe," he pulled him close, "you can tell me what it is you're going to make me do…" his eyes hungrily roamed over Kurt's body, staring particularly long at his crotch, and his boyfriend smiled.

"Oh, that's easy. Whatever I wanted, right? You're going skinny dipping."

Mikey looked up at them curiously as he sucked on his ring pop. "What's that?"

Blaine's face dropped and Kurt laughed, walking away. "Make sure you catch my good side for this video. Jeff will love it."

….

The boys silently cursed when they pulled up at the Hummel residence around 6pm and Burt's truck was in the driveway. Mikey was singing along to the Usher song on the radio as Kurt wondered just how much trouble he would be in for not being home yet and Blaine sighed, hoping it wasn't too severe.

They got out of the car and Kurt took Mikey's hand, walking him to the Kinsella home. Blaine watched them go before jogging up the steps with his and Kurt's backpacks in tow. He unlocked the door to Kurt's place and peeked inside, looking for Burt.

The man could be heard in the kitchen, humming the tune to an old Sinatra song as the faucet ran. Blaine looked at the television and saw that the local news was on; the weatherman promising a beautiful week as usual. Blaine put their bags down and fixed his red beanie, making his way into the kitchen.

There was takeout on the kitchen island. It looked like he'd intended to have dinner with Kurt, and Blaine felt bad that they'd gotten back at this time. He cleared his throat before saying hello.

"Good evening…"

Burt turned away from the sink, a bit startled, but smiled a bit when he saw Blaine in his kitchen. He turned the water off and grabbed a hand towel. "Anderson. Hey… where's Kurt?"

Blaine pointed somewhere before putting his hands in his pockets. "He walked Mikey next door to my uncle. We um, took him to this skate park. I know he's grounded so we probably shouldn't have but I'm sorry."

Burt nodded and tossed the towel away. "Don't worry about it. He and I will set a curfew for school nights and all but it won't be this early. I'm not that lame. You want to stay for dinner, bud?"

Blaine was shocked but quickly nodded yes. "Sure. I'd love to, thanks."

"No problem," Burt went over and got a few plates to set the table with. "So how was day number one at this fancy school of yours? Was it worth the hype? I've been hearing about it since I told him we were moving to Long Beach and if Neil Patrick Harris himself wasn't one of the teachers then I'll be greatly disappointed."

Blaine smiled and took a seat at the island. "There was no Neil Patrick Harris but Kurt loves the school just as well."

"Mhm," Burt took a seat and looked at him. "I'm sorry to change the subject but can you go put on one of your boyfriend's scarves or something? That thing is distracting."

Blaine's eyes went wide and he nodded, hopping down from the stool. "Oh… yeah. Be right back."

Burt smirked and started to put food on the plates.

As Kurt walked in, he was a little frightened when he saw his boyfriend running from the kitchen. Thoughts of his father mentioning his gun collection went through his mind until Blaine motioned to his hickey and made a face and then gestured upstairs.

"I'm going to get a scarf. There's dinner. Chinese…" his voice faded when he got upstairs and Kurt could hear the faint sound of his bedroom door flying open. He smiled a little and shook his head, stepping out of his shoes and going towards the kitchen.

Burt looked up at him with a smirk that only Burt could wear and his son waved hello, going to take the seat next to him.

"Hi dad."

"Uh huh." Burt smiled and patted his son on the shoulder. "Welcome home, kiddo. How was your day? Don't tell me everything…"

Kurt ignored him as he went to wash his hands. "You know. I love Pace. I love getting to be surrounded by people who love what they are interested in as much as I do and I'm so grateful for this opportunity." He returned to the island and thanked his father for dinner.

Burt nodded and took a bite from his food. "That's a genuine answer and not some stock version, right?"

Kurt smiled and looked at his dad. "I'm genuine no matter how typical the reply may be." As he reached over to pour them all something to drink, Blaine walked back in with three different scarves from Kurt's collection on, drying his hands on his shorts. His boyfriend rolled his eyes and continued to speak as Burt laughed. "And I can't deny that getting to go to school with that guy is a bonus as well."

Blaine took his seat next to Kurt and grabbed his fork. "I'm not saying that I am going to be getting into any trouble or anything but there's this teacher's assistant there that I don't like because he openly flirts with Kurt. Since day one, really," Blaine said as Kurt sighed. "And he's like 20 something."

"He's 20," Kurt told him. "He's 20 and not an issue."

Burt looked at his son.

"I'm pretty sure he's being annoying to get on Blaine's nerves. Most of the kids there are threatened by someone who's as known as Blaine when they were used to being the center of attention—"

"Only he's not a kid," Burt stated.

Blaine nodded. "I've already determined that if I deal with it off-campus that I can't be punished."

Kurt looked away from the both of them and down at his plate. "But then he could totally sabotage your grades or some stupidity and that's the last thing we need."

Burt looked up at them as he took a sip from his glass. "I'm going to give some very simple advice to you so that any arguments over this guy can be avoided. Blaine, trust Kurt and don't pay the TA any attention. All he wants is attention. Kurt…" he looked at his son, "Don't feed into any of this guy's bullshit. I send you to school for an education, not to be harassed by 20 year olds."

Kurt nodded. "Neither of you have anything to worry about. Blaine knows that," he looked at his boyfriend who was very much into his food right now, "and now you know that dad."

Blaine took another bite and adjusted the scarves around his neck. "We just want Liam to know that."

Kurt ate quietly as he thought about what was said. He seriously considered talking to one of the teachers at the school if any of this got out of hand. That was the only way he could think of toning down the flirtation from his TA and keeping his boyfriend out of trouble for probably getting fed up one day and making a move. He didn't want anything to be blown out of proportion or to distract from their schooling. Maybe if it came down to it, he'd talk to Leonard Riley.

Burt and Blaine had continued to talk as they all ate and Kurt shook his head from his thoughts as he paid more attention to the conversation at hand.

"Anyway," Blaine swallowed. "I think I want to be a music producer one day. I think I want to write music and produce for a career, so I'm going to look at schools for that."

Kurt looked up a little shocked and Burt nodded. "So you're both looking at New York when you start applying, right?"

Blaine nodded and looked at his boyfriend. "Nick and Jeff are talking about dorming where they want to go to school but I'm going to start looking at apartments after we apply to our colleges."

Burt nodded. "I hope you're more focused on your grades right now. Apartment hunting can wait."

"Yeah I am," Blaine told him. He finished eating and shrugged as he grabbed his glass. "I am."

"I love how you tell my dad this stuff before I get to hear any of it," Kurt said with a smile. He watched Blaine steal a piece of broccoli from his plate before wincing at the wet kiss on the cheek he got.

"I was telling the both of you," Blaine got up and went to clear his dishes.

"Don't be in a rush to grow up though, boys. I know the living on your own thing sounds appealing and all but," Burt looked back at them as Kurt got up to help clean as well. "Make sure you have your priorities in order. School comes first."

Blaine listened to him.

"We know, dad," Kurt turned around and wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder. "Tell me how your day was, though."

Burt took his last bite and swallowed before answering. Blaine finished washing the dishes and returned to the table. "You know… did a repair for a bitter woman who assumed I was trying to cheat her when she got her bill because she wasn't a man and had no idea what was wrong with her car though I explained it several times. One of the cars I had to tow was stuck in traffic so that was fun and wasted a few hours out of my day. But I came home early to see you two and make sure things went smoothly."

Blaine batted his eyelashes at him and Kurt laughed.

"We love you too old man," said his son. "Oh, I'm pretty sure Don fired me when I went to drop Mikey off."

Blaine and Burt both looked at him. "What?"

"Well," Kurt walked over to Blaine now and took a seat beside him, "he says that he wants Blaine and I focused on our classes. Something about them being demanding and how if I was at the shop I wouldn't be able to give it my all, which I guess is true. But I did like the money."

Burt watched his son start to pack up the leftovers. "You can always work for him or even for me when there's a holiday or something. It's not like you have rent to pay."

Blaine smirked. "He has shoes to buy…ouch. Uncalled for, Kurt."

Burt laughed at the two and stood up to put his things in the sink. "Homework is done, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt put everything in the fridge. "We finished it earlier. Mikey helped me with my French."

Blaine stared at Kurt's ass as discreetly as he could as the teen bent over. He looked at Burt and was thankful the man wasn't paying him any attention, and then back to Kurt and licked his lips.

"Well then I'm sure you got them all right."

Kurt stood up now and stretched, his polo rising a little with the action. He caught his boyfriend staring and smirked, walking over and kissing his forehead. "Are you leaving any time soon?"

Blaine shook his head no as his hands rested along the island. "Not if your dad lets me stay a while."

"You can stay until 8," Burt turned the water off and went towards the bathroom. "Down here though. He still has a week left on punishment."

Kurt smiled and looked at Blaine as the boy pouted. "Stay, okay? I'm going to change into something comfortable and then we can watch something on TV."

Blaine nodded, pulling him in for a quick kiss before Kurt was pulling away. He sighed and let go, wishing on a million stars that he could follow him up the stairs and lock the door and strip down to next to nothing.

Blaine sat there for a moment, yawning and looking at the time. They still had over an hour to hang out before he had to leave. Cooper texted him to make sure that he was okay and Blaine tiredly replied that he'd be in around 8:15ish.

Burt came out of the restroom and looked at Blaine sitting at the kitchen island. He raised an eyebrow and gestured to the living room. "You can make yourself at home, bud."

Blaine looked at him for a while. "Can I ask you a question?"

Burt made a here we go face as he smiled, nodding yes. "What is it?"

Blaine rubbed at the nape of his neck and led the way into the living room. Kurt's father slowly followed.

"The night we got back from Ohio, Kurt was telling me that you and him had a talk about… well about him and I," Blaine took a seat on the sofa while Burt remained standing, preparing to go to bed for the night. "You know? Me and him here… and what we were allowed to do."

Burt stared at him.

Blaine took a deep breath and put the television on mute. "Ok. You're going to make me say it. You and Kurt talked about… well he told me that you said the two of us were allowed to like… do things here. Well not things but… ok sex. He said that you told him that we were allowed to have sex here and you'd be ok with it if we kept it quiet and I didn't believe him."

Burt stared some more.

Blaine looked up at him. "A yes or a no, pops. That's all I need."

"I said it," Burt answered. "Why don't you believe I'd say that?"

Blaine looked at him obviously. "I'm pretty sure I don't have to answer that. You know our history better than anyone and—"

"We got off to a rough start but I consider you my boy just like I consider Kurt and if you're here and you're being safe, I don't mind it. I know you're going to do it, and I'm not going to act like stopping it from happening here is doing anything. I did ask him that the both of you not let me know what you're doing though. I don't think that's too much to ask."

Blaine folded his hands as he nodded. "You're right. It isn't… um, thanks by the way. I mean I don't want you to think that's all we do when we're alone because it isn't."

Burt stared at him again.

Blaine licked his lips. "But, it would be cool if I could stay over tonight—"

"No."


	3. Cracked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out ourstargemini.tumblr.com as a companion to the story!

Cooper hummed along to the music filling the living room of the beach house as he took a seat on the sofa. His night was quite awesome and because of it, his mood was through the roof. He wore that stupid, goofy, telling smile and tapped his hands along his thighs to the rhythm of his younger brother’s piano playing, all the while waiting for Blaine to say something.

Blaine would say something. He knew Blaine.

"I’m guessing your date went well if that dumb look on your face is any indication,” the younger Anderson said, still focused on his fingers moving along the ivory keys. Cooper grinned and stared at the muted television; Diesel sleeping on the couch right next to him.

The damn dog never slept in his _bed_ where he was supposed to sleep.

“Well she and I did have some fun in the pool. Not _that_ type of fun, but we definitely had a few laughs. We’re big goof balls and it’s fun when you can find someone who’s into what you’re into, you know?”

Blaine looked at his sheet music and was otherwise quiet. Cooper smiled, still humming along to the song.

“Is this an original by any chance?”

Blaine nodded now. “Something I’m working on for Mikey’s birthday party this weekend.”

Cooper smiled. “I’m sure he’ll love it. Are there lyrics?”

Blaine nodded again. “Of course. They probably won’t make much sense to everyone else but I think he’ll understand. At least I hope he will…”

“I’m sure he will. He’s a genius. Takes after me in that respect,” Cooper smiled; laughing when Blaine’s piano playing became comical in reaction to the _bullshit_ he’d just heard, and then reached for the remote. “Why don’t you wrap it up, anyway? It’s close to midnight Squirt.”

Blaine stretched his arms over his head and turned to look at his brother. “Does Justin know how serious things are with you and his sister?”

Cooper smiled. “Are you implying that we need his permission?”

“What about her ex-boyfriend? You know: the one she was with since all of you were in high school. Wasn’t he like… crazy?”

“He’s going to be just fine,” Cooper told his brother. He turned the volume up and put the television on Comedy Central. “And Justin has more important things to worry about like his career and his long-distance relationship not going sour. You have more important things to worry about like your violin playing and maybe getting some sleep… so get to bed.”

Blaine smirked, running his hands through his hair. “My violin playing is fantastic. Mr. Riley talks about me all the time. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have the final song at the recital this winter which you are going to be coming to…”

Cooper smiled, nodding. “For sure. Why just me though? What about mommy?”

“Well she’ll be busy with our new baby sister by that point I imagine and you have to film me for the both of them. Kurt totally sucks at filming. He never pays attention to what he’s doing. I have tons of video of half of my bike doing tricks because the camera was out of focus.”

“But you love him regardless.”

“More than anything in this world,” Blaine heard his phone go off and reached for it. “Speak of the devil.”

After smiling at something on television, Cooper replied. “What is it with you kids and not sleeping on time?”

“It’s 11:47, CJ.” Blaine lifted an eyebrow at the message. “I’m pretty sure our teachers aren’t even asleep at this time.”

**From Kurt:**

**Are you up? Busy? If not, can you come over?**

“Well you’ve been doing great during your first month of school and I just want you to stay consistent. It’s September tomorrow. It’ll soon be time to apply to colleges and you want to keep up the good work. So,” Cooper turned to look at his brother, “If it seems like I’m being a little rough on you or even _annoying,_ I don’t mean to. I just want you to do well Squirt.”

“I get it,” Blaine said monotonously as he typed out a reply.

**To Kurt:**

**I’m up baby. Is everything ok?**

**From Kurt:**

**Everything is ok. I know it’s late but… I can’t stop thinking about you.**

“Good.” Cooper flipped through the channels. “So get your caboose to bed.”

Blaine licked his lips as he reread the message, typing out a response. “Ok.”

**To Kurt:**

**What’re you thinking about? CJ is sending me to bed now but if you need me to I can sneak out.**

Blaine tried not to get too excited. There had barely been any sex since school started really. They hadn’t really been going out during lunch break because the time was used to get caught up on coursework or get a head start on homework, and after school they’d been busy with assignments and solos and whatever else. Blaine didn’t think he’d like being so busy with _school_ of all things but he was staying out of trouble and his family and friends were impressed with his turnaround. And while he realized that he and Kurt only really messed around on the weekend when they were alone or randomly when they had a bit to drink and got handsy after one of their dates, it wasn’t so bad. He and Kurt did get to enjoy time being boyfriends without the constant physicality of it all, and they were closer than ever; joking and holding hands and just talking about the most ridiculous stuff that came to mind. If that meant having to deal with a serious case of blue balls after a make out session ended in just that – _a make out session_ – Blaine would deal with that.

He grabbed his violin case and other belongings from the coffee table. Cooper said goodnight; still in his cheerful mood, and Blaine replied before running up the steps two at a time.

**From Kurt:**

**I’m thinking about you touching me… my chest, between my legs, fingering me… just everywhere. I’m touching myself and pretending that it’s you but it’s not the same.**

**From Kurt:**

**My body knows exactly how you feel and nothing else will do it.**

**From Kurt:**

**Can you please come?**

Blaine cursed to himself as he went in his bedroom and felt his dick getting harder. He dropped his things to the floor and wondered how long it would take Cooper to go to sleep. Usually, his brother would stay up doing something nonsensical to about 2:50am where he’d just crash without warning. Nonsensical tended to include either talking to his _maybe_ girlfriend Jasmine – Justin’s older sister, singing ‘80s rock songs as he went over his lines, or playing video games with David who was supposed to be focusing on UCLA but was apparently up at random times of the morning on PS3. If this was the case tonight, Blaine would probably have to sneak out of the window.

Blaine had every intention of doing whatever it took to not only get some, but to make sure Kurt was left satisfied. _Very_ satisfied.

**To Kurt:**

**I’ll be over in about 30. Just let me get dressed and pretend to be asleep for a while in case the bro comes in here? I’ll sneak out and drive right over.**  

Blaine looked for a shirt as another message came in.

**From Kurt:**

**Can you make it 20? Please baby…**

**From Kurt:**

**I’m so fucking horny Blaine.**

“Shit,” Blaine exhaled into his fist as he looked at the phone. Images of Kurt lying naked in bed playing with himself while moaning his name popped into his head and Blaine literally said ‘fuck it’, tossing a white v-neck on and grabbing a pair of black jeans.

**To Kurt:**

**Your dad is definitely asleep right? You’re certain?**

Blaine hopped over the bed and stuffed some pillows underneath the comforter to maybe make it look like someone was under there. Maybe the person would appear to be three hundred pounds overweight but at least it looked convincing.

Ok – maybe not convincing, but let’s be real, Cooper wasn’t the type to thoroughly inspect anything like this. Uncle Don, maybe. CJ… not so much.

Blaine hurried into his Adidas and grabbed his phone, reading the reply.

**From Kurt:**

**He went to bed over an hour ago. I’m certain he’s out like a light, babe. I’ve been in the living room watching a movie that’s doing nothing but turning me on more… in retrospect it was a terrible idea but right now all I can think about is you doing to me what Jake Bass is doing to Max Ryder. Only harder.**

“Fuck,” Blaine smiled and went over to his window. He double checked to make sure he had his keys and ID before looking down the two stories and taking a deep breath. “I never went through this for pussy. He better know how fucking special he is.”

When one leg was out of the half-open window, Blaine hooked it over until it was on the roof over their patio. The moonlight reflected over the water in their pool beneath him and he acknowledged the fact that after one slip up, this could all end badly. But, Blaine carefully climbed onto the roof and then carefully jumped and landed on the patio table before jumping onto the ground.

Diesel - who apparently found the worst timing in the world to wake up – started to bark crazily at the racket. Blaine cursed beneath his breath before running around the deck, stumbling over something as he pulled up his jeans (to the appropriate level, of course) and took off along the side of the beach. Shane shook his head as he saw him and José laughed along with him.

“Tell Kurt we said hey!”

Blaine ran up the beach with his middle finger in the air, only a few yards from his car. That happened to be the one bad thing about living on the beach; it seemed as if you had a thousand neighbors because whoever happened to be visiting the beach at that given time knew everything that was going on. It was more crowded than it needed to be on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and as Blaine pulled out his keys and got closer to his Lexus, he noticed a group of guys hanging around it.

One of which happened to be Peter.

The rest of them were old classmates of his as well, but not guys he was particularly close with. There was Tommy… the same Tommy from Blaine’s birthday party that he almost hit because of the whole ‘ _you’re switching schools because your boyfriend wants you to?’_ bullshit. What an annoying twit. He was there with his trampy looking girlfriend, and two other guys; one a junior who was definitely supposed to have graduated with David and Justin’s class and the other a chubby Kevin Hart look alike who often had something to say for everything. Blaine stared at all of them before walking over to the driver’s side.

“Anderson… congrats on the arts school,” Tommy said with a sly grin. He looked at Chubby and then back to Blaine. “JFK High misses you.”

Blaine looked from him to Peter.

“Long time no see,” Peter put out the joint he was smoking and took a few steps back. “I hope everyone’s doing ok…”

Blaine glared at him for a while longer before observing the group as a whole. Tommy’s girlfriend seemed bored and looked away, staring at the city skyline at the far end of Long Beach. Blaine opened his car door.

“Make sure your friends stay away from my car, Petey. I don’t think any of you could afford to reimburse me if something happened to it…”

Tommy smiled as the tall super junior laughed. “Wow, Anderson. You get a little bit of money, get on TV, go to a new school and suck some cock, and you think you’re too good for Long Beach, huh?”

Blaine slammed his car door shut and took a few steps forward. Tommy stepped forward too, but Peter was in between the both of them.

“Hey… Blaine chill out,” he blocked the curly haired teen from the others and looked at him, “They’re just a little high and they’re talking out of their asses right now. The last thing anyone here wants is trouble, ok? Just go wherever you’re going.”

Blaine looked up at the taller teen before rolling his eyes and walking back to his car. One of the guys could be heard laughing and another mumbling ‘ _no talent faggot’_ but Peter shoved his new friends away before Blaine could run them over with his car. He shook his head as he got in, slamming the door and watching them through his tinted windows.

**From Kurt:**

**I swear I’m just going to cum without you.**

Blaine looked down at his phone and remembered that he had an extremely horny boyfriend waiting for him. He took a deep breath and tried to push the encounter to the back of his mind, smiling as he replied to the text and starting up his car.

**To Kurt:**

**As long as you let me lick it up when I get there and then fuck you senseless, I suppose we won’t have a problem.**

A jogger went by before Blaine could properly pull off, but once he did he sped all the way to the main street, music blasting unnecessarily loud. The Trey Songz record that Mikey got in trouble for singing the other day was playing on the radio and Blaine hummed along to the lyrics, weaving in and out of traffic on the two lane two way road, not aware the LBPD was right behind him until the sirens went off.

Blaine checked his rearview mirror before looking at how fast he was going. He cursed and sat up straight in his seat. “No fucking way.”

There was no way. He kept driving, slowing down to what was the actual speed limit but not pulling over at all. He hoped that if he slowed down a bit, the police would turn their sirens off and go about their business.

Only they didn’t, and after a moment he got the warning that they weren’t bullshitting.

“Pull the vehicle over now.”

Blaine smiled at the command and shook his head. “I’m fucking smoked.”

He kept driving though, speeding up again. After turning his music up and feeling his cell phone vibrate again, Blaine decided that he may as well go down like a champ if his mother was going to murder him for this anyway, right?

“Fuck it.”

….

**To Blaine:**

**It’s been 15 minutes.**

Kurt pressed send and slouched down on the sofa; his lower lip between his teeth. His eyes were dark as they watched what unfolded on the television. The volume was low enough so that he’d hear if his father woke up and started to move around upstairs, but he didn’t know how much time that’d give him to get his hands out of his pants, throw on a top, turn to something appropriate, _and_ make up an excuse for not being in bed after midnight, but for some reason that was the furthest thing from his mind.

The men on screen moaned in unison and Kurt licked his lips, watching one take it from behind as his hair was pulled. His phone vibrated beside him but he didn’t bother checking his boyfriend’s reply; too busy stroking his cock to the rhythm of the sex on TV. Although he wanted to close his eyes and fuck his fist until he came, all of him knew it wouldn’t feel satisfying unless it was Blaine getting him off.

Kurt had been here before. Since the start of the school year, his sex life wasn’t as _there_ as it had been over the summer. Well, he didn’t exactly have a sex life before Blaine, but after Blaine it seemed as if he was being pleasured whenever and wherever he wanted. Now, it was really difficult to get into that same spontaneity of it all. Now, it was almost as if they were scheduling times to mess around, and even if they tried to do something, they’d be interrupted by life. It really wasn’t fair.

But tonight, Kurt _needed_ it. He wasn’t sure what came over him – usually he was able to think of Blaine kissing him and touching him, and before he knew what was happening, he’d have his fingers inside his ass and he’d be moaning Blaine’s name. Sometimes he’d look at a few dirty websites and other times he’d call Blaine, but by then it was well past late and he’d be asleep. Tonight though, he lucked out.

His phone vibrated again and Kurt thrust up into his hand, watching as the bottom was bent over a table and fucked hard. One hand slid down over his chest and eventually touched his navel as the other jerked himself off, and just as his toes curled and his eyes rolled back, he realized he was right there.

He couldn’t stop now.

The gasp that left his lips was half shock and half pleasure. Kurt arched his back off the couch as his cum dripped down over his abdomen. He raked a hand through his hair and pulled a bit as the other continued to rub along his shaft, pretending it was Blaine’s hand and then Blaine’s lips.

But for some reason, it wasn’t.

Kurt collapsed against the sofa, a slight pout on his lips. He was upset with himself for not holding on until his boyfriend got there, but he was also upset with Blaine for not being there a bit sooner. Kurt was only human. He grabbed his phone to read the response from Blaine but only it wasn’t Blaine, it was Rachel. Kurt rolled his eyes and reached over for a tissue to clean himself up with. As he looked up at the screen, Kurt licked his lips and dialed his boyfriend’s number.

….

The cop driving shook his head as their car flew down the all-way in pursuit. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little Danica Patrick. How much you wanna bet on this one, Jax?”

His partner held onto his seat as the car swerved, pursuing the black car. “You’re going to make me lose the Applebees I had for dinner. Can we just radio it in so I can go home?”

Blaine turned another sharp corner and drove down Jeff’s block, stepping on the gas. He was grateful it was night time as he turned the music off completely. Hopefully no pedestrians would be out right now. The sirens flashed behind him and he bit his lip, turning another corner, this time onto a one-way street but in the wrong direction. He cursed when he noticed and drove even faster, running a stop sign and swerving onto Broadway now.

“I should drive past a fucking Dunkin’ Donuts so you motherfuckers get distracted,” Blaine said to himself, speeding down the road and cutting someone off. “I can’t believe I’m in this situation.”

His phone rang as he heard the sirens dying down a little. Blaine focused on the road, slowing down at a red light and looking both ways before turning right. He answered his phone as he drove, looking in the rearview to make sure he wasn’t being followed. “Baby…”

“If you didn’t want to come over all you had to do was say so, Blaine.”

Blaine rolled his eyes as he drove onto the highway. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m on the way now, in my car.”

Kurt sighed, and by the sound of his voice Blaine knew he’d just come. “Where are you? It’s not like we live _that_ far from one another.”

“I know… I’m just on the highway for an exit but when I get off –”

“The highway…?!”

Blaine sped in between lanes, passing a couple cars. “I got into a police chase but I think I lost them.”

_Silence._

“But,” Blaine hit 80 miles per hour and signaled that he was getting off at the next exit, “I’ll be there in another 10 minutes. I’m sorry for making you wait even longer but when I get there I gotta tell you what happened –”

“Just… go back home, Blaine. I don’t know what you’re up to but I’m just gonna go to bed.”

Blaine held the phone to his ear as he got off at the exit. “What are you talking about? …I’m coming over ok?”

“Are you out of your mind? You could have been killed or you could’ve seriously hurt someone else!”

Blaine licked his lips. “You wanted me to hurry up.”

“I didn’t want you to put Long Beach in danger, Blaine. Can you just… get here in one piece? Please?”

Blaine hung up the phone and tossed it into the passenger’s seat. He waited for a couple cars to go by before merging onto the road and eventually drove the rest of the way to Kurt’s place – his music at a comfortable level as well as his speedometer.

….

Kurt set his alarm and got on top of the covers. He turned the lamp off and shook his head as he lay down, trying to fall asleep. Only as soon as he closed his eyes, he could hear the front door downstairs closing.

Kurt sighed. Eventually, steps sounded on the stairs, and then in front of his door, and though his room was dark, he could see with the light from his cable box that the door knob was turning. Blaine stepped in and looked at him, but Kurt only rolled over in bed and stared at the wall his Broadway posters were on.

“So now you’re going to ignore me after I come all the way over here for you?”

Kurt rolled his eyes before closing them. “You hung up on me. I can ignore you if I want to.”

“You yelled at me over bullshit.”

“I didn’t yell at you but you’re raising your voice now and you’re going to wake up my dad.”

Blaine pulled out his phone and put on the flashlight. He could see Kurt’s eyes closed and it appeared the teen didn’t plan on opening them. Still, Blaine closed the door behind him and walked over, stepping out of his sneakers and climbing onto the bed. “Kurt.”

Kurt sighed and shook his head no.

Blaine lay down next to him; his boyfriend the little spoon as he wrapped his arms around Kurt’s midsection. “Are you mad because I tried to get away from the cops? Do you know how much trouble I’d be in if I got pulled over?”

“Do you know how devastated I’d be if something were to happen to you?” Kurt asked back – his voice breaking a little. “You don’t need to break traffic laws to get here to me so I can bust a nut, Blaine. That’s ridiculous. I wanted you to get here but… just use your brain.”

Blaine slid his hand down over Kurt’s sweat pants and started kissing his neck. His hand was moved away quickly though, and Kurt sat up.

“And don’t hang up the phone on me when we’re talking. That’s rude and I wouldn’t do it to you.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and moved over on the bed. “Kurt, c’mon.”

“I don’t ask much from you, do I? Just please… don’t do that.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine turned his phone off and looked at Kurt. “I’m sorry I hung up, ok? I just didn’t want you telling me not to come over because of what happened. I fucking snuck out and got into that situation because I was coming over here in the first place, and then you’re all ‘go back home’.”

Kurt turned the lamp on and then turned to look at Blaine. They caught eyes briefly before the older teen looked away. “Maybe I won’t ask you to sneak out again then. I’m sorry. It’s late now so maybe you want to go.”

Blaine looked up at the ceiling, scratching tiredly at his forehead. “I’m fine for now. It was a long night… I’ll leave in a few.”

Kurt looked at him for another moment before he turned the lamp off once more and got underneath the sheets. He lay on his side and propped the pillows beneath his head before closing his eyes.

Blaine exhaled hard and turned to check the clock. It was a twenty to 1 in the morning now and any other night he’d be falling asleep in preparation for the next school day, but tonight wasn’t like any other night. He thought about those idiots from JFK High and wondered if Peter pretending to be neutral in it all was an act or if they were all a bunch of jealous idiots who intended to fuck with him because they didn’t have the things he did.

Blaine ran his hands through his hair and sat up. He looked down at Kurt pretending to sleep and shook his head, sliding to the edge of the bed. “Can you at least walk me to the door? That’s the least I should get after coming over here for you because you’re horny and then getting nothing.”

Kurt got out of the bed without saying anything. He walked to his bedroom door and Blaine stood up after him, going to put his sneakers on. Kurt stood there patiently, and when Blaine had finally finished what he was doing, the shirtless teen turned to lead the way downstairs in the dark – only Blaine had trapped him flat against the door, thrusting forward against his boyfriend’s ass.

“Blaine…”

“Kurt…” Blaine moved his hands down Kurt’s side and kissed the back of hid his neck. After thrusting up again, Blaine pulled back and turned Kurt around so that they were face to face, only to trap him against the door again. “I hate that you have pants on,” his lips touched Kurt’s throat as he moved his fingers to the waistband of the Pace sweat pants, slowly moving them underneath. “No underwear, though? You should just take these off.”

Kurt let his head hit head the door as Blaine kissed his collarbone. “Blaine…”

“What?” Blaine grabbed Kurt’s ass as he kneaded the flesh, pushing the pants down as much as he could. “Oh yeah… I’m supposed to be leaving,” he pulled away and looked Kurt up and down, licking his lips. “Sorry. You know how carried away I get.”

Kurt stood there with his sweat pants around his knees before finally taking them off. He could feel Blaine watching him as he tossed them aside and pushed his boyfriend back onto the bed, climbing on top of him and crashing their lips together.

Blaine got over the initial shock and kissed back; all tongue and teeth and hands back on Kurt’s bare ass before he tossed the blue eyed teen over on the queen sized bed, moving between his legs. He got on his knees and pulled off his shirt, and as Kurt started fumbling with his button and zipper, Blaine grabbed for the drawer and dug around for a bottle of lube. “Shit… where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Kurt leant up and kissed Blaine’s abdomen, sliding his jeans and boxers over the swell of his ass. “Take your sneakers off.”

Blaine put his fingers in Kurt’s hair as his boyfriend’s lips moved along his skin. “Damn…. The lube…,” he bit his lip at the feeling of Kurt’s tongue and kicked his sneakers off once more. “Where’d you leave it?”

Kurt kissed Blaine’s hipbone and dropped his hands from the boy’s ass before falling back, digging through the drawer. He sighed, not wanting to turn the light on, but feeling like he might have to at this point. Blaine rolled over to his side of the bed and went through the drawer over there.

“I can feel condoms but no lube…”

“Condom wrappers. Here,” Kurt finally found it and closed his drawer. “It was buried.”

Blaine accepted it after he took his jeans and underwear off.

“What position?”

Blaine licked his lips as he thought. “Turn the light on, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled and put his hands beneath his head. “Too risky. We need to stay quiet and keep it dark. I don’t sleep with any lights on.”

“But I like to see you when we fuck,” Blaine looked at the windows. “Can I at least open the curtains?”

Kurt shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Blaine hopped up and poured a bit of lube into his hand as he walked over to the windows. He stroked himself and pulled the curtains back a bit, letting light from the security light as well as the moonlight stream in. He turned back to see Kurt sprawled out on the bed and looked at his lips.

“Much better.”

“What position? Before I change my mind…”

Blaine smirked and walked back over, lifting Kurt’s legs in the air and dragging him close by the ankle. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

Kurt did as he was told and yelped as he was tossed into the air. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and a second later felt Blaine lining up at his entrance. They were standing there in the middle of the room on his fancy rug, and Kurt realized Blaine was going to make him bounce on his cock and having to stay quiet was going to be pure torture.

“Slide down,” Blaine held him by the hips as he lined up. He bit his lip hard trying not to thrust in too hard. “Like that, babe.”

Kurt held onto Blaine’s curls and tightened the hold of his legs as he moved lower onto his boyfriend’s dick. He took quick breaths and his eyes rolled back as he sunk lower and Blaine pulled him deeper. “This is what I needed, Blaine. I needed you so bad.”

Blaine forced Kurt up and down his cock, slowly at first. “Then why were you making me leave, dummy? When I make you feel like this?”

Kurt smiled until Blaine started fucking him harder – his lips parting and making that sexy face Blaine loved seeing. He grinded, almost dancing as he straddled his boyfriend and Blaine grabbed his ass, thrusting up hard and biting his tongue not to say anything more.

“Deeper…”

Blaine held him by the hips and walked over to the wall, thrusting in hard. Kurt shouted accidentally when Blaine hit his prostate, but after the noise his boyfriend’s hand was covering his mouth. He made muffled moans into it as he was fucked against the wall and Blaine smirked, watching him move up the wall the harder he’d thrust.

“You ask for it deeper but then you damn near give us away.”

Kurt’s eyes rolled back as he held onto Blaine’s arms, pulling the teen closer with his legs.

Blaine thrust in and out, watching Kurt’s face the entire time. He let go of the boy’s mouth and started playing with his hip piercings as he grinded. “We should get under the covers and fuck nice and slow.”

Kurt smiled; arms resting on Blaine’s shoulders. “You could fuck me on the ceiling at this point and— _fuck,_ I’d be ok with it.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Blaine cradled Kurt underneath the ass and they kissed as he walked over to the bed. His hands moved up over his thighs and to the small of Kurt’s back; their kissing getting deeper and deeper. Blaine laid him down without pulling out, and Kurt let his legs fall apart when his back touched the bed sheets. He pulled the covers over his boyfriend’s back, not at all ready when Blaine started to move in without warning and hit his spot repeatedly before kissing his neck, and Kurt moaned low in his throat as a result.

“Spread them wider,” Blaine pushed his legs apart and grabbed onto the headboard, using it for leverage as he plunged into his boyfriend. “Fuck,” their chests were pressed together as he covered Kurt’s mouth with his and snapped his hips nice and slow; moaning as Kurt would move his ass into every thrust to meet him. They continued like that – Kurt scratching down his back or pulling his hair – Blaine’s tongue in his mouth and cock deep inside of him – both of them burying moans against the other’s lips – they continued until Blaine’s hips were moving without rhythm but with a lot of speed, and deep enough to make Kurt curse and shake on every thrust, and Blaine bit hard on his boyfriend’s shoulder as his toes curled.

The alarm clock made its chirping noise to signal that it was now 1am. Kurt gasped as Blaine’s hand wrapped around his cock and started to erratically pull at his already leaking cock. He shook his head, not wanting to cum yet because this was _so_ good, but needing to cum. He mumbled for Blaine to kiss him, and even though the words were hardly there in the midst of him being fucked with legs in the air and his cock being jerked off just how he loved it, Blaine knew what he wanted. They kissed hard and as Blaine slammed into him over and over again; Kurt now practically pinned in the top corner of the bed as his boyfriend tried his best to screw his brains out, Kurt raked his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair and pulled hard in what he hoped was a warning that he was coming. The strangled noise that accompanied it made Blaine moan too as he thrust up a couple more times before slowing down entirely. He made sure that Kurt had climaxed completely before speeding up again, his dick moving in only partially as he went faster but enough to make him cum in his boyfriend’s ass.

It was some of the best ever, and it was probably because they weren’t exactly fans of one another’s attitudes right now, but whatever the reason was, both boys were blissed out.

Blaine breathed heavily as he looked down at Kurt; the boy’s cheeks flushed as he fell fast asleep. He smiled and slowly started to pull out so that he could clean them up, grabbing a few napkins from the bedside table and wiping them clean. He lay down in bed beside him and closed his eyes too.

“A few minutes.”

….

Of course, a few minutes ended up being a couple hours, and Blaine shot up in the bed looking at the clock. It was a bit after 3 in the morning. Kurt rolled over when he felt the jolt and looked at Blaine; it registering a moment later that it was a school night and his boyfriend should’ve been fast asleep _in his own bed_ at this point.

“What… baby?”

“I fell asleep.”

Kurt looked at the clock and then turned to face Blaine. “You can leave now, it’s still early.”

Blaine yawned loudly, nodding his head yes. “I’m gonna get going. CJ should be asleep and hopefully Diesel is too.”

Kurt smiled and his eyes drifted closed. “We could do it one more time though before you go.”

Blaine smirked and rubbed the nape of his neck. “You’re a tease…”

“I’m so serious,” Kurt grabbed the lube and smiled, rolling over and sticking his ass in the air. “Just a quickie.”

Blaine bit his lip and stared at his boyfriend’s ass before picking up the bottle. “I think I wanna take my time.”

As Kurt’s ass clapped when Blaine thrust in deep and the younger boy bounced back against him, Blaine knew he’d go through the whole night all over again just for five seconds of this.

….

“Why are you two so tired? You’re always the life of the party, Kurt.”

Kurt shook his head and looked down at his coffee cup. Blaine was next to him in their booth in Layla’s – the boy’s beanie down over his eyes trying to block out the sunlight. “I had a long night,” he said.

Jeff hummed. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” Kurt told him. He took a sip from his mug as Blaine shoveled eggs into his mouth. Some of it missed and Nick looked at his best friend weirdly.

“And what’s your excuse? I’ve never seen you fail at eating.”

Blaine shrugged, not answering. He chewed tiredly and sunk down in his seat.

Jeff looked at his boyfriend and smiled, stealing a piece of bacon from his plate. Some things never changed. “Well I hope you wake up in time for Dance class, Ohio. It’s test day.”

Kurt groaned, adding another cream to his coffee. “Don’t remind me. I can barely move.”

Nick smirked and then looked at Blaine as he linked the two together, but Blaine was falling asleep while chewing.

The door to Layla’s opened and a couple Pace students walked in. Jeff smiled when he saw a few of his friends and waved them over.  Of course, Hunter led the way followed by Kurt’s friend Zach, who along with his boyfriend John and their friend Dani shared Orchestra class with Blaine.

“Yo,” Jeff slapped five with Hunter and grinned. “Are you ready for the performance today?”

Hunter smiled at Jeff before noticing that both Kurt and Blaine looked dead. He shook his head. “I was born ready, man. Today is going to be great. I’m going to ace the Dance exam and then I have a solo in Chorus,” he patted Blaine on the shoulder, startling the boy awake. “I’m going to need you to be attentive on the drums so you don’t screw me up, so let me buy you a coffee…”

Kurt yawned and stretched as Blaine batted Hunter’s hand away. He waved hello to Zach, not at all missing the way John looked at him (Kurt still didn’t get why the guy hated him to be honest) and grinned when Dani ran around the table to kiss him on the cheek. She kissed Blaine next and he grumbled a ‘good morning’ before pulling the beanie from off most of his face. “I don’t want a coffee. I had one of those energy drinks.”

“Which is not at all healthy,” Kurt mumbled.

“You’re going to crash after third period, stupid,” Dani smiled and nudged him awake. “I’m going to order something for Vickie and Naomi, they’ll be here soon. You boys want anything?”

Hunter handed her a couple bucks. “No Splenda. I’m not joking.”

She rolled her eyes and walked away. “I know, Hunter.”

Zach took a seat in the chair behind Nick and Jeff. “What’s up with you two?”

Hunter shook his head. “Nothing. Dani and I used to date in sophomore year and again junior year but I don’t think I’m going for a three-peat –”

“Not you,” Zach ruffled his red hair with a smile, “I’m talking about Kurt and Blaine over there.”

Blaine watched Zach’s boyfriend take a seat across from him. He was grateful John quit the whole staring at him thing while they were in Orchestra because not only was it weird, but Blaine was not interested, nor was he ever going to be interested. Now he needed to talk to the kid about his attitude towards Kurt. “Well I was in this crazy police chase last night on my way to get some ass and then I didn’t sleep much afterwards.”

Jeff looked between Kurt and Blaine as he ate, but Kurt didn’t even bother commenting.

“Oh,” Zach laughed. “Cool. Wait – were _you_ the black Lexus going 65 in a 35 zone?”

Blaine lifted his eyebrow and looked at him. “Maybe… how do you know?”

Hunter smirked as Nick shook his head. “Do we even want to know?”

Kurt shook his head no in response.

“My dad is a cop and he complained about it. Right after he complained about his partner,” he smiled. “I hope that’s your last time. Apparently there’s this whole street racing thing going on around town that’s big after midnight and there’s been accidents. They must’ve thought you were a part of it.”

“David told me about that,” Jeff chimed in. “He says it’s like Fast and the Furious near his campus. One time ten guys put money in and the winnings were close to thirty five hundred.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide and Kurt elbowed him in the side. “Don’t you even think about it.”

“I’m not,” Blaine glared at his boyfriend. “Ouch, by the way.”

“So enough about all of that,” Hunter dragged a chair up to the end of the table and sat backwards, looking between Blaine and Nick who’d just finished eating. “Tell me about the party this weekend.”

John looked up from his notebook, interested. “There’s a party?”

Blaine shook his head no. “Not that I’m aware of. If there is I’m not throwing it.”

“I heard Kurt talking about it with Dani in the hallway,” Hunter fixed his navy polo collar as he spoke. “You said it was on Sunday.”

Kurt finished yawning and responded, reaching for his coffee. “Are you talking about Mikey’s party? Blaine’s cousin is turning 5 on Monday so he’s having his birthday party this weekend at the beach house. I doubt you’re invited.”

John rolled his eyes away. “Five,” he echoed, shaking his head. Zach smiled.

“Well Sunday I don’t have anything better to do so I guess I’ll be there.”

Jeff looked up at Liam the TA entering Layla’s as Blaine put his head down on the table. He waved hello before looking back down at his empty plate – running his fingers through Nick’s hair. “I guess we can get the bill and get out of here. My first period teacher is a bitch.”

Kurt nodded and stretched again, smiling when Dani came back over. “Are we still on after school for the French project?”

“Yep,” she put Hunter’s coffee down in front of him and moved his hand away from her leg. “I think we can finish it by tonight. Library or your place?”

“My place is fine,” Kurt watched Nick take some cash out and go to pay the bill. He left a tip on the table.

“There’s no Splenda in this right?”

“There’s no Splenda,” Dani said tiredly. “I’m out of here. See you at school.”

“Bye,” Blaine mumbled into the table.

 Kurt waved and then grabbed his own bag. “Wake up, Anderson.”

Jeff picked up his skateboard and kicked Blaine hard underneath the table afterwards; the teen wincing.

“What’re you singing for your solo?” Kurt asked Hunter. The teen licked his lips and smiled.

“ _Ride_ by Somo. For Elizabeth… I want to take her to the Fall Dance and you know… I thought a song could help.”

Blaine smirked as he sat up straight. “I love that song.”

“Isn’t it about sex? You’re going to sing a song about sex to a girl you’re into? In front of Leonard Riley and the entire Chorus and Band?”  Zach shook his head as Hunter didn’t appear to see anything wrong about the idea. “You’re an idiot.”

Kurt smiled when Nick came back and stood up. “Best of luck with that, Clarington. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sleep in the car.”

“Me too,” Blaine picked up his backpack and stood up, straightening the Seahawks jersey he wore. “See you dumbasses later.”

Jeff slapped five with Hunter again, and then Zach and John before the four of them left. He called shotgun out of the habit of having too, still not used to Justin being gone. Kurt and Blaine took the backseats all the time anyway.

Nick looked at his boyfriend as they walked towards his Hummer. “So can you come over tonight? My dad is in town and we’re going out for dinner.”

Jeff carried his skateboard and gave his boyfriend a suspicious look. “And I’m coming as a friend?”

Nick licked his lips. He’d been thinking about it and he really believed tonight would be the night that he told his family everything. And he meant everything – boyfriend, daughter, New York. Everything.

Kurt tiredly climbed into the Hummer on top of Blaine and they pretty much fell asleep as soon as the door closed. Nick shook his head as he opened Jeff’s door for him. “I mean, I would like it if you were my date. Whether I deal with this now or later, they’re going to react the same way. It doesn’t really matter. And I’m tired of us hiding.”

Jeff tossed his skateboard into the back, and though it hit Kurt in the butt, the boy didn’t flinch. Blaine snored a bit and Nick smiled as Jeff faced him. “It’s going to be a long day for them I guess –”

His boyfriend kissed him and Nick stopped talking at once, closing his eyes as their lips met. Jeff pulled back after a moment and smiled. “For us too, maybe. But I think we’re going to be alright.”

Nick nodded. “I think so too.”

“Wooooooo! Cute boys kissing alert!”

Nick and Jeff turned to see Naomi and Vickie waving, and Dani holding two thumbs up. Jeff smiled at his ex before rolling his eyes away, and Nick blushed. He looked at his blonde boyfriend and gestured for him to get in the car.

“Girls can totally be worse than guys.”

….

The locker room smelled like boys who tried to cover up the fact that they didn’t put on deodorant that morning with knock off cologne from the dollar store. Kurt glared at everyone as he entered, tiredly going to his locker. He felt Blaine still following him as he stopped in his row and worked on putting in his combination.

Blaine took a seat on the bench between the lockers and looked at Kurt. Jeff skated in a few seconds later and smiled at him.

“What’re you doing here?”

Blaine gestured to Kurt. “I’m going to watch him undress before going to Orchestra.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and popped the lock open. “He was just leaving.”

Blaine smiled, standing up and putting a hand on the small of his boyfriend’s back. “You could barely keep your eyes open in Math class. How many times did Hayward yell at you today?”

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at his dance uniform. “He didn’t yell at me. And it’s not _my_ fault I’m so tired. I told you to go home last night but you started grinding against me –”

“And then you were throwing me on the bed,” Blaine leant against the lockers and smiled, watching Kurt start to unbutton his shirt. “Come on. Let’s just leave. I’m probably going to fall asleep at my violin and lord only knows what’ll happen if I mess up Hunter’s sex solo later on.”

“But if you’re not here at all he’s really going to be pissed,” Kurt folded his shirt neatly. “Just go to class. I’ll nap during lunch hour or something.”

Blaine smirked. “You’re no fun. I bet on senior ditch day you’re going to be the only one here.”

The late bell rang as Kurt started to shimmy out of his jeans. Blaine sighed and Kurt gestured to the exit. “I’ll see you after English. Goodbye.”

Blaine backtracked after Kurt kissed him. “See you at Lunch. Break a leg on your Dance exam. Maybe not literally, sleepy head.”

Kurt smiled and worked on changing.

….

Blaine rushed into his Orchestra class, knowing that he was already late. He could hear his teacher speaking as he entered.

“Today we will continue with the work of Haydn’s masterful symphonic writing. This week we’ve admired the contrast and variety of thematic strands, elegant inner movements, and the intertwining themes of his finales. You’ve all been doing so wonderful with his Symphony No. 104 from Haydn and today – oh, how nice of you to join us Mr. Anderson.”

Blaine jogged towards the auditorium stage with his instrument in hand. “I’m sorry; I left my violin in my trunk. I didn’t mean to hold you all up.”

Mr. Riley watched the teen climb to the stage and John shook his head at him. He had no doubt seen Blaine following Kurt into the boys’ locker room with his eyes fixated on his ass like five minutes ago, and he definitely knew Blaine didn’t leave his instrument in the trunk of the car he didn’t even drive to school today having carpooled with Nick and Jeff, so that wasn’t true. But guys like Blaine had a lie for just about everything.

John knew. He wasn’t too different from Blaine himself, he imagined.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Mr. Riley told him. “Now, we’re going to resume with Symphony No. 104 and as Mr. Anderson takes his seat, I’ll have Ms. Thompson collect the homework.”

Blaine slouched down in his seat next to Dani and smiled when she got up, handing her the homework he did during lunch yesterday. He started to set up his instrument and smiled at Zach who was shaking his head at him.

Zach and Kurt were pretty tight and he seemed like a good enough dude. Jealous when he thought guys looked at John a little too long, but Blaine totally got it. If only he could understand John though. He was a bit of a dick.

“Due Monday, I want you all to try and compose a five minute solo for an instrument of your choosing. Throughout next week we will try and perfect it as your home assignments and on the week after that, you’ll be performing it.”

Blaine figured he’d just use something he wrote when he was younger, but being lazy wouldn’t get him the good grade he needed to get everyone off his dick. He wrote the assignment down in his iPhone and slid it away.

….

Kurt yawned as he warmed up. In one ear, he had Hunter talking to him non-stop about something that was probably important – something about Chorus he believed. But he just could not pay attention. In the other ear there was the conversation between Jeff and Victoria about trying to get tickets to a Raiders game and that was even more boring than whatever the hell Hunter was going on about. Liam looked up and caught eyes with Kurt, laughing when the boy gave him a tired grimace.

That was definitely going to be the last time he made a ‘booty call’ at that time of the night. Not unless he had a nap the hours prior to it, that was for certain.

“But the sex was so good.”

Hunter stopped talking and looked at him. “What?”

Kurt turned to him and shook his head. “I didn’t mean for that to come out aloud. Continue.”

Hunter smiled. “Ok then. Like I was saying –”

“Alright,” Frankie, their instructor stood in front of the class. “Today and tomorrow are the days we’ve been working towards all month long. I’m so proud of this class and you’ve all definitely shown me early in the game why you’re the advanced Dance course. I’m going to have half of you show me what you’ve got today, and the other half will go tomorrow.” Frankie walked over to one of the girls and looked at her, “You’ll be starting us off, Brielle. Pretend that you’re auditioning for a show and it calls for an excellent dancer. Show me what you’re made of.”

The class clapped for her and Kurt slid back to the mirrored wall in between Jeff and Hunter. He smiled when the song the girl chose came on and she started to move to the music. It was easy to tell this girl was born to dance. There wasn’t any doubt she’d get an A+ and then go on to become someone amazing. Most of the people here would, at least that was the plan.

Kurt was amazed with how well she did as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He thought maybe that if he made a quick run to throw some water on his face, he’d at least perk up a bit and be able to do his choreography decently. After Brielle finished, Kurt clapped and asked to be excused. Liam offered to escort him, making Jeff glare at him as Kurt stumbled to his feet.

They went in the hall and Liam walked ahead of him, singing an old Robin Thicke song as the teacher announced that Paul would be going next. Kurt followed him from the dance studio to Hall J and though he felt kind of exposed in his dance uniform out in the hallways, he was way too tired to do anything about it.

“You’re probably going to fall when you go up if you can barely walk in a straight line now.”

“Yeah well I slept two hours since the night before last and my body is pretty upset with me. I’ll be fine.”  The boys’ room door was open. Kurt walked inside and went up to the sink, looking at the mirror before turning the cold water on. Liam watched him.

“You sure about that? First semester grades need to be strong. This is the report card that NYADA and whatever other schools you apply to will be seeing, you know.”

Kurt splashed his face and took a deep breath.

“And you’re scheduled to perform before Maria. You know that girl slays.”

“Well I’ll be fine.”

“Even with the quick pace of your three minute choreography?”

“There’s nothing I can do now, Liam,” Kurt stood up and grabbed a few sheets to dry his face with. “I am just going to do my best. I’ve been through so much worse and overcame that.”

Liam smiled and Kurt rolled his eyes at him, throwing the paper in the trash. He left the bathroom and started to walk back towards the dance studio. “It wouldn’t be a problem to move your exam to tomorrow. You could watch everyone today and not worry about a thing. Tonight, you go home and instead of fucking your idiot boyfriend, you get some sleep.”

Kurt turned around and looked at him.

“Your walk has been different all day today. I noticed.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

“Besides the fact that you’re awesome?” he said sarcastically. Kurt continued to look at him as he waited. “Because you, my friend, are going to do something for me.”

Kurt looked up as Liam threw an arm around his shoulder and walked the both of them down the next hall.

“There’s this guy who I’ve been messing around with, who I totally shouldn’t be messing around with –”

“Is he a student here?”

Liam made a face, looking at Kurt. “No, he isn’t.  He’s a bit older than me, only a little over a year. MIT student.”

Kurt nodded, walking with him. “MIT is across the country though.”

“Yeah,” Liam sighed. “Anyway, he’s been here for the summer and he decided instead of going back that he’d stick around, start again next semester. The problem is that I’ve been having to share my time with him as of late with his boyfriend. I really am not with the whole sharing thing.”

Kurt moved Liam’s arm from around his shoulder as they stopped in front of the dance studio. “You’re disgusting. I’m pretty sure you could find someone who’s single.”

“But the person I wanted wasn’t,” Liam shrugged. “Anyway, back to the topic. Do you know an Ian Palmers?”

Kurt leant back against the bulletin board and nodded, giving the TA a suspicious look. “Yes. He’s my friend’s cousin.”

Liam smiled, licking his lips. “He’s the guy.”

Kurt smiled and then shook his head no, looking away. “There’s no way he’s cheating on José. Not after he went out of his way to get him to be his boyfriend.” 

“The chase is most of the fun… he knows that as well as I do. So does Blaine with you –”

“Do not bring Blaine into this. He’s nothing like you or Ian –”

“—but since you’re familiar with this José kid, maybe you could tell him for me. Tell him about Ian and me –”

“Oh please,” Kurt shook his head no and walked towards the entrance.

“Wait…” Liam jumped in front of him. They both could hear music from the classroom as whoever was up now danced. “If you tell José, he’ll be more likely to believe you than the guy who’s actually doing it. Are you two friends? He probably trusts you. This way, he’ll break up with Ian and then I’ll have more time with him when I need it. You know… sometimes I wanna get off and they’re on a date or some bullshit.”

“I’m not getting in the middle of their relationship. It’s not my place. José can find out what a prick that asshole is without me.”

“You know deep down inside that you want to do the right thing and be a good friend to him. Me, I’m not a great guy. But you Kurt, you are.”

Kurt laughed sarcastically and looked down the hall. “You know, I’d expect this from Ian, easy. I know he can be a sleaze ball. But you, I thought you were better than that. Why would you want to mess around with someone in a relationship?”

Liam licked his lips and looked Kurt up and down. “Why wouldn’t I? Sometimes it can be very worth it.”

Kurt stared at him.  “You’re disgusting. And if that’s the type of guy you are then –”

“Then I guess you’ll be dancing today.” Ian shrugged and walked into the classroom.

Everyone was clapping and Frankie nodded to the boy who took a seat before looking at his list. “Job well done. Up next is Mr. Hummel… just in time,” he smiled as Kurt walked in. “Get up here Kurt.”

Kurt stepped a bit further into the classroom.  He looked at his instructor, knowing he was about to screw this up miserably. He knew the choreography but his body just wasn’t in sync today. But that was no one’s fault but his.

“We just got back from the nurse actually. She says he’s running a fever and should probably sit this one out. They called his parents and everything,” Liam looked from Frankie the dance teacher to Kurt, finding the boy’s blue eyes with his own. “Unless you’re up to it today?”

Kurt stood still there in the doorway. The whole class’s attention was on him. He took a deep breath and shook his head no. “If it’s ok, I think I will wait until tomorrow.”

Frankie smiled and nodded. “Tomorrow. I hope you feel better, take a seat. Next is Maria.”

The class clapped and one boy patted Kurt’s back as he walked by, saying to feel better. Kurt nodded and sat next to Vickie this time. Hunter looked down the line at him, as did Jeff, but he only looked at the performer.

Liam smiled and took his seat, watching Maria begin her dance.

….

Blaine finished his classwork in Italian class pretty early. He was going in between playing 2048 on his phone, looking at sneaker websites, falling asleep, and participating in a group chat with Justin and David for the remained of the class.

This teacher was probably his favorite out of all of them. She was super nice and let the class start on homework for other classes once they were finished with their work. When she gave out tests or quizzes, they weren’t super confusing even if the work was hard, and she offered early on to write letters of recommendations for everyone applying to colleges. Not everyone in Pace had planned to; a majority of the students had a plan to move away to cities like Hollywood, New York, or Chicago, and wing it.

Zach laughed at Blaine’s loud yawning even though he’d been trying to hold it in. Blaine smirked at him and stretched, almost hitting the girl in front of him in back of the head.

“How are you supposed to last the whole day?”

Blaine shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”

He looked down at his phone, seeing a message from David about a BMX competition and looking at the details. “I’ve been thinking about leaving after Chorus & Band but my friend drove today so I’d be without a ride.”

Zach hummed acknowledgment. “You don’t want to skip class anyway. They tell your teachers you were in your other classes if you missed theirs and then you lose privileges. The Fall dance is coming up and don’t forget about the recital. If you get in trouble enough they won’t let you participate.”  

Blaine sighed. “Oh yeah.”

“Plus, they’ll tell your folks.”

Blaine started playing 2048 again as their teacher answered a student in Italian. “Are the dances at this school any good? I feel like my boyfriend will drag me to the Fall dance and I’ll be bored all night in dumb fancy clothes.”

“Well,” Zach thought about it, “I happen to like them for selfish reasons. I asked John to be my boyfriend at a dance and since then we’ve been going strong.”

Blaine turned to look at him. “What’s up with John? You two are like… polar opposites.”

Zach laughed. “We are. But one could say the same thing about you and Kurt.”

“Maybe. But I don’t know… I get the feeling he doesn’t like my boyfriend and Kurt feels the same.”

The bell rang signaling the end of class as Zach wondered about that. “I don’t know… he seemed pretty excited when he heard you both were transferring here. From what I gather he used to BMX and all that,” he grabbed his bag and stood up with Blaine. “But as for Kurt, he hasn’t said anything. I talk about Kurt a lot so he’s had ample opportunity to. They even have that costume design class together.”

Blaine nodded, walking beside him. “When you say you talk about Kurt…”

Zach laughed. “I mean how cool he is. I mean he’s hot but if I were to bring that up in conversation with my boyfriend I wouldn’t get any for a while.”

Blaine smirked. “Just making sure.”

“I get it,” Zach patted Blaine on the back. “I’m going to my locker before lunch so I’ll see you there – _woah –”_

Kurt laughed as stepped back. “Watch where _I’m_ walking Zachary.”

Blaine smiled as Zach held his hands up and retreated. “My bad. I wouldn’t want the Walking Dead to kick my ass in front of everyone.”

Kurt stuck his middle finger up as he sleepily kissed his boyfriend hello. “People are making fun of me because I’m tired.”

“You’re still gorgeous,” Blaine kissed him again and held his waist. “And you look amazing today in your sleeveless hoodie.”

“I look amazing every day,” Kurt took Blaine’s hand. “I’ve come to walk you to Lunch.”

“What a gentleman,” Blaine laced their fingers together and yawned. “Damn. That was a good one. We’re fucking pathetic today.”

“I know.”

“How was your dance exam? You didn’t text me.”

“One, we’re in school and I’m an A+ student –” he was cut off by Blaine’s scoff but resumed. “Two, I didn’t perform today. It’s a long, _long_ story but Liam got me out of it.”

Blaine spit the gum he chewed out into the wrapper and tossed it into a trash can before they turned down the hallway. “Care to tell me this long, long story?”

Kurt nodded, stopping at his locker to put a few things away. He noticed a poster for the Fall dance above it and yawned. “Well you see, apparently he _thinks_ I’m going to help him break up José and Ian so that he can have Ian for himself, but that’s not going to happen. He can’t really make me either.”

Blaine leant against the lockers and looked inside of Kurt’s, pouting when a picture of Mikey was above a picture of him. “Why wouldn’t you though? He and Ian deserve each other.”

“Because not only is that not my business,” Kurt put his textbooks in the locker. “I have no intention of doing something that can benefit a scumbag like him and hurting my friend in the process. He can do his own dirty work.”

Blaine stood up straight, fixing the straps on his book bag. “I feel like I need to have a chat with your bestie.”

Kurt closed the locker door and started walking off. “I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

“I’m not saying you can’t.”

They entered the cafeteria and Blaine saw Jeff walking with two trays. There was no doubt that they were both for him. Kurt gestured to the vending machine and Blaine nodded, going to join the lunch line. He pulled out his wallet and yawned again as he looked at the menu, getting the same thing for both Kurt and himself.

Nick’s ex-girlfriend Naomi stood on line behind him, wrapping her arms around her shoulder. “Pay for me too?”

Blaine smiled. “Who’s your favorite BMXer?”

She smiled. “If I say David you probably won’t buy me lunch.”

“You’re a smart girl,” Blaine moved forward in line.

“Blaine is the best BMX rider in the world.”

“First and last name. I saw you tweeting Blaine Mazzetti and I know you stan him.”

The brunette laughed. “Fine. Blaine _Anderson_ is the best BMX rider in the world. I like pepperoni pizza by the way.”

….

Lunch went by way too fast. Kurt didn’t even get his nap. Jeff was way too funny the entire period and made him laugh for pretty much the entire 45 minutes straight. That and he wanted to finish his English homework so there’d be more time for sleep at home.

Chorus was even more entertaining. Hunter’s solo performance was today and he had chosen _Ride_ by Somo as his song. He stared at Elizabeth during its entirety and Kurt couldn’t tell if the soprano girl was scared or appreciative or a little of both.

Blaine was pleased when Hunter handed around the sheet music. He loved the song honestly. And plus, this was the only performance today so he’d be able to sit next to Kurt afterwards while Leonard Riley gave the choir a speech. He wasn’t in the choir, which meant he could sleep.

Blaine – 1. Kurt - none.

Improvisation class flew by because it was as fun as it always was. But last period, even though Blaine enjoyed Music Tech, seemed to last forever.

The same went for Kurt in Scene and Costume Design. As he struggled not to drift off to sleep, he got news that he was paired up with John for a project. While Ohio Kurt would’ve loved that – not only was John gay but he was very attractive – California Kurt didn’t have time for this. The boy’s attitude was insane and he really questioned how in the hell Zach put up with it.

Eventually, though, the school day ended.

Thank the heavens.

….

“I still don’t trust you on my skateboard since the whole New York incident. You know, when you fucking rolled it into one of the busiest, most famous streets in the city.”

Blaine kicked forward as he rode the skateboard, smiling as the group left Don’s bike shop. It wasn’t the same with Kurt not working there anymore. “I’m not going to do that ever. I already apologized tons of times so stop bringing it up.”

“What about Spencer’s?” Nick asked, looking at the stores they passed.

Blaine got off the skateboard and turned around to look at his friends. “Spencer’s Gifts? The sex toy shop?”

Jeff laughed at his boyfriend’s suggestion. “Are you shopping for yourself or for Mikey’s birthday?”

“C’mon they have cool stuff there that isn’t sex related.”

Blaine rolled his eyes at his best friend and turned around. “You’re not buying anything from Spencer’s for my little cousin. God only knows whose hands have touched that stuff, and what else those hands have touched.”

Jeff hopped on his skateboard and slowly rolled alongside Blaine. “They do have cool tongue rings there though. The purple one with the matching earrings I had.”

“Oh,” Blaine nodded. “I remember those.”

“I lost one,” Jeff pouted. “Well Vickie lost it but she conned me in to thinking it was my fault somehow.”

“Girls are magic at that,” Blaine said as he pulled his phone out his pocket. “I say we go to Toys “R” Us next and call it a day.”

Nick shrugged as he looked around. “That’s so basic though.”

“Mikey is basic,” Blaine answered. “The kid is turning 5…”

Jeff smiled. He saw a couple guys walking down the block who looked familiar, but paid them no mind. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to love my gift best.”

“But then again Jus and David are coming back this weekend and they’ve been bragging non-stop about what they got him,” Nick said, walking next to Blaine as he texted. “They probably got a fucking bouncy house or something crazy.”

“Oh,” Blaine’s eyes lit up as he texted. The thought of a bouncy house made him smile. “I’m still small enough to fit in those –”

His shoulder was bumped so hard that his phone dropped from his hands and onto the concrete. Nick looked up and saw Blaine looking down at his phone before facing the guy that bumped into him.

“What the hell? Watch where you’re go – oh,” Blaine’s fists clenched and Jeff raised an eyebrow at the two dudes smirking. “It’s you. Peter isn’t here this time –”

“Woah! Chill out Anderson,” Tommy held his hands in the air and Chubby smirked behind him. “It was an accident. I should’ve been watching where I was going…”

Nick picked up the phone and grimaced at the crack going across the screen. “Shit. Look at the screen… I guess you’re paying him for it.”

Blaine looked at the screen and then rolled his eyes as he looked back to the two kids.

“I said sorry but I’m not giving you any money,” Tommy looked at Chubby and shrugged, “But good luck with that, Anderson.”

Blaine took a few steps forward. “Next time you touch me I swear to everything you love you’ll wish you hadn’t even thought about it –”

“What’s going on out here,” Blaine’s uncle stepped out of the store and looked at the commotion. Tommy smiled and patted Blaine condescendingly on the shoulder.

“We’re just catching up with our little friend here – ay,” Tommy stumbled back when Blaine shoved him and Nick pulled the rider back by his shirt. “Keep your hands off me, Anderson.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’d like that, I’m sure,” Chubby said, laughing as he and Tommy took off down the block. Blaine glared at them and turned around, pulling away from Nick. Don watched and called out to him as Jeff stared at the two boys.

“Blaine! Come here.”

Blaine ignored him, walking down the block. At the end of it he turned the corner – Nick by his side and Jeff rushing to catch up after he promised Don he’d handle it.

“Yo?” Nick jogged a bit and stopped in front of his friend. “Wanna tell us what that was about?”

Blaine accepted the cracked phone back and shook his head. “Fucking idiots.”

“Who are they?” Jeff asked, skating up behind him. “They look familiar… we can take care of it if you want –”

Nick glared at the both of them. “Stop being stupid.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Blaine pocketed his phone. “I’m going to stop at the beach house for Diesel. Can I meet you two somewhere?”

Nick wasn’t stupid. “We’ll go with you. I’m just going to have something overnighted for Mikey’s birthday gift I guess.”

Blaine licked his lips and walked towards the beach. He missed his bike. After school, the two love birds Blaine was with decided to give Kurt and Dani the Hummer to go pick up Mikey while the three of them walked along Main Street doing some shopping. Walking… _ew_.

“What’s up tonight? Coming over to watch the preseason game?”

Nick looked at Jeff. “Actually, in a couple hours we’re going to go get ready for tonight with my family.”

Blaine’s confusion was evident on his countenance before he caught up. “Oh yeah! Dinner with your ‘rents and the twins. Jeff’s going too?”

Jeff smiled. “Apparently.”

Blaine nodded and smiled back.

“I’m going to tell them and what not and you know, wanted him there,” Nick told him.

“Well congrats,” Blaine crossed the street, looking at the cops go by and getting chills. “And good luck with everything. You know they love Jeffrey so I doubt there’ll be a problem.”

“You don’t understand,” Nick smiled as he took Jeff’s hand. “You never did really.”

Blaine looked at him. “What’re you talking about?”

They approached the far end of the boardwalk and Jeff listened closely as Nick began. “It isn’t easy with my family.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know my family, Blaine. My dad isn’t the man your father was. Or hell, the man Burt is. My mom, I honestly don’t know how she will react but it isn’t just the thing with Jeff I’m telling her about, it’s Brooklyn too. I’m like really anxious about all of this.”

Blaine didn’t say anything at first. He let everything he heard settle in. It was very often that he had Nick giving him advice about things he was going through, and now he wanted to be there for his friend as well. He looked at Jeff who had Nick’s hand in one of his and his skateboard in the other. “Have you told your folks yet?”

Jeff smiled and looked down at the ground as they walked. “You know they actually walked in on Nick and me once. When we were 15 maybe… he was a bit wasted but I remember it well. We were only kissing, and my dad opened the door because apparently my music was too loud for me to hear my grandmother calling me. He looked at us and then apologized and left. I’m pretty sure he told my mom because she started acting very weird.”

Blaine listened.

“Then there came Vickie, and they loved her and all. They never brought up what happened with Nick and I and I never made them. But a couple weeks ago I told them he was my boyfriend.”

“And what happened?” Blaine asked curiously.

“Nothing really. It was a ‘oh’ type of reaction. They didn’t seem shocked but at the same time, they did seem like they weren’t expecting me to say it. My dad did ask what happened with Victoria and I told him the gist of it. Leo was like the only person who said ‘that’s awesome’. He loves Nick.”

Nick smiled at that as they walked onto the sand. Blaine brushed his curls back.

“I didn’t even know Leo was still alive. Haven’t seen him all summer.”

“He stays in his room on Tumblr. Comes out when he hears ‘dinner is ready’ or something of the sort.”

Blaine laughed as Nick shook his head and replied. “Well he’s like 15 now, right? He lives on the beach. Tell him there are girls here.”

Jeff shrugged.

“Well I’m going to bring Diesel out.”

“Bring your basketball too,” Nick said. “Let’s go to the park.”

Jeff rolled his neck. “And Gatorade.”

“And take our book bags!”

Blaine rolled his eyes and kept walking.

….

“Then they make you count to 100 and after that, you say the ABCs again, and we go over the day and the weather and you know, same ‘ol same ‘ol,” Mikey explained to Dani as Kurt made him a peanut butter and banana sandwich. “Sometimes I daydream a lot.”

Dani laughed. “You and me both. But boy, what would I do to have your class instead of taking Chemistry. It’s a snore.”

Mikey smiled at her as he put his pencil down. “What would you do?”

“Well,” she put her pen down and thought. “I’d eat Brussels sprouts. And I _despise_ Brussels sprouts.”

“Brussels sprouts are delicious,” Kurt said as he tossed the knife into the sink. Mikey made a face.

“I may be in love with him but he’s _crazy_.”

Dani laughed aloud, looking up at her friend as he came out of the kitchen with the sandwich on a paper plate and proceeded to tickle the kindergartener. Mikey went crazy, cackling and twitching in his seat. He sunk down to the floor and Kurt laughed at him.

“Go wash your hands while I check your homework. I’m gonna kiss you on the cheek if it’s all right!”

Mikey tried to wink before he walked away and Dani giggled at the little heartthrob.

“Ok. He’s freaking adorable. I’m sure Don and Pam are sweethearts but I’m literally going to steal him.”

Kurt sat down next to her and smiled. “You’ll have to fight me for him first.” He went over the homework and cheered internally when he saw Mikey wrote the number 5 in the correct direction this time. They were _always_ backwards. “If he were a decade older, Blaine would have some serious competition.”

Dani smiled. “He invited me to his birthday party, but there’s a catch.”

Kurt lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yes. I have to be his date because he wants to make someone in his class jealous. Wouldn’t tell me her name though. I’m not sure if I should believe him,” she laughed when Kurt did. “But I’m coming anyway.”

“I fully believe there’ll be more of us there than kids and someone is gonna end up bringing liquor and I’m thoroughly convinced once the 5 year olds go home –”

“It’ll be turnt?”

“Yes,” Kurt laughed.

Mikey came back, running into the room. His red and blue tie was still on even though he ditched the white button up to wear the BMX shirt he had beneath it. “Do I get a kiss?”

Kurt pulled him up into the seat and gave him a big wet one on the cheek. “Great work. Make sure mommy signs it tonight ok?”

Mikey blushed and nodded, reaching for his sandwich.

“Ok,” Kurt turned to his friend. “Now, to work on our conclusion.”

“La conclusion,” she put on her best French accent after picking her pen back up. “La mort de Jules César n'a pas diminué son influence sur les questions ou sa présence dans l'esprit de ceux qui l'aimaient.”

Kurt smiled, grabbing his laptop. “Très bien…” his phone began to ring and he heard the ringtone that Blaine set for himself go off – JLo’s _I Luh Yah Papi_ – and said ‘excuse me’ as he answered.

“Hey babe.”

“What’s up?”

“Dani and I are finishing up our French paper and Mikey’s eating,” Kurt typed a few word on the laptop. “He’ll probably watch a little TV after. Where are you?”

“Why? You wanna come through?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I’m doing something.”

The line went dead and Kurt stared at his iPhone. “I know he didn’t just hang up on me.”

Dani smiled as she finished writing. “I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, babe.”

The door opened and in ran Diesel, barking and heading straight for Mikey and the boy’s sandwich. Kurt smiled at the dog though Dani seemed a bit startled.

“It’s ok. He wouldn’t harm a fly.”

Mikey laughed, holding his sandwich away from the puppy. “Down boy,” he said.

Blaine stepped in and closed the door behind him; Lakers jersey on and basketball tucked under his arm as a sheen coat of sweat glistened on his skin. Kurt’s first instinct was to lick his lips but then he realized Blaine was sweaty.

“Don’t come over here before you shower. And I know you didn’t hang up on me.”

Blaine smirked, dropping the basketball and walking over to the dining room. “I know what it does to you when I hang up on you.”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Is that my cue to go or?”

“Yes,” Blaine laughed, kissing Kurt’s cheek until he was pushed away.

“No,” Kurt smiled, wiping his now sweat-damp hand on Blaine’s shorts. “We’re going to finish this so we have Friday and the weekend to enjoy. Now you go upstairs and shower, stinky.”

Blaine finished kissing Mikey a million times in the hair before tossing his backpack onto the sofa. “Fine. I’ll be back in 10.”

Kurt smiled as Diesel bothered Dani. “We better finish this before he comes back down here or we’ll never get it done.”

….

After Kurt and Dani finished their paper, the girl stayed over for takeout and half of Mikey and Blaine badly singing the soundtrack of Disney’s _Frozen._ She left a bit before Mikey was picked up by Pam, and once Kurt and Blaine were alone (not counting Diesel) the two were making out on the couch in no time. Blaine kept mumbling about having to stop and do homework before Burt got home and kicked him out but Kurt wasn’t on the same page.

So Blaine saved it for later. He had his thigh in between Kurt’s legs as he moved up and down, his tongue in Kurt’s mouth and the boy’s hands on his ass. Every time Kurt would moan, he’d smile into the kiss and grind slower.

When his phone rang, he damn near broke it for real this time. Kurt smiled and pulled back, reaching for it in his boyfriend’s pocket.

“It broke today by the way,” Blaine said as Kurt stared at the cracked screen.

“Wow, I see. It’s David though.”

Blaine took the phone and answered.

“Can I call you back?”

David finished chewing. “Gettin’ busy?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said grinding down again.

“Sure bro. Don’t forget.”

Blaine hummed an ok as he went back to kissing Kurt and hung up the phone. His boyfriend thrust up and gasped.

“Let’s watch boys do things to each other before we do things to each other.”

Blaine smiled at the suggestion and licked his lips. “Alright then,” he got up and carried his things upstairs, Kurt fixing his clothes before following. Blaine opened the bedroom door and Kurt took his hand, walking inside. As he turned on the TV, he looked back at Blaine pulling off Kurt’s t-shirt he was wearing.

“What happened to your phone anyway, sweetie?”

Blaine sucked his teeth at the memory. “This fucking idiot bumped into me. Some asshole from my old school,” he lay down on the bed and watched Kurt starting the movie up. “It’s nothing to worry about though. CJ’s ex works for Apple and she’ll fix it for free. She loved me.”

Kurt smiled as he put the video on, pressing play. “Who couldn’t love you?”

Blaine nodded. “True.”

Kurt went to close his door before removing his shirt as well. He climbed into the bed next to Blaine and got on top of the sheets, staring at the television screen.

Blaine watched for a few minutes, totally getting into it. Never did he think he’d be into gay porn of all porn, but it was pretty freaking hot.  There were two guys on screen and then a third one entered and his eyebrows shot up.

“Woah. I’d never have a threesome but this isn’t half bad.”

No answer.

Blaine looked over and pouted as Kurt snored softly. Just as he was getting turned on. Fucking great.

Kurt – 10. Blaine – 1.

….

Jeff’s palms were sweating and while he wasn’t exactly the nervous type, he was pretty nervous tonight. Nick’s little sisters who adored Jeff were sitting to the right of him, telling their father how the third grade was going so far. Their mother smiled and listened closely, and Nick was an interesting shade of _pale_ that pretty much told Jeff his boyfriend was just as nervous as he was if not more so.

There was no way anyone could be more nervous than he was right now, Jeff thought.

He fixed his tie and looked down at the menu again. It wasn’t too often that it took the blonde more than 2 minutes to choose something to eat but tonight he just wasn’t on his game.

“You both look very handsome tonight,” Mrs. Duval said, smiling between Nick and Jeff. “And thank you for joining us, Jeffrey. I haven’t seen you around the house since school started. How’s senior year? How’s Victoria?”

Jeff cleared his throat and reached for his water. “I – She and I aren’t together anymore,” he took a sip as Nick went paler. “But we’re still pretty close friends.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Duval frowned a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that, but at least you’re still amicable, yes? I don’t know if it’s the same with Nicholas and Naomi. He barely talks about her anymore.”

Nick licked his lips, about to say something when his dad spoke.

“It’s been a while since I saw any of you kids. I guess I’ve gotta get to a competition soon, huh?”

Jeff smiled, looking up as their waiter approached.

“Are you guys ready or can I start you off with some drinks?”

“We’re good to go,” Nick’s dad, Nathan said. He ordered for the twins and for himself, and then Nick’s mom, Piper went. Nick spoke next, deciding on an appetizer and a Cuban sandwich with fries, and Jeff cleared his throat before ordering some pasta. The table laughed when he asked for an alcoholic beverage, even though he was serious, and Nick glared at him.

“I’ll take a Coke then.”

The waiter grabbed the menus and was off, and then Nick’s dad was speaking again.

“So what’s up for college boys? USC? UCLA? NorCal?”

Nick shook his head at Nathan’s question. “Actually, we’re both looking into school out east. Preferably NYC.”

Nick’s mom laughed. “What? Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?”

Nick shrugged and looked at Jeff.

“To be fair, the best art schools at least in our opinion are in NY. Not that there aren’t decent programs here but –”

“We’re going to miss you,” Allison, one of the twins said. “Can we have his room?”

Her sister Anna laughed.

Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know if I can agree to that. I just got you all back into my life and now you’re trying to move across the country?”

Nick smiled sarcastically and Jeff knew it was coming. “Well that isn’t exactly my fault now is it? I don’t remember telling you to abandon your family.”

“Nicholas –”

“Nick…” Jeff repeated after Piper. “Calm it down a little…”

Nathan looked around the restaurant. “Regardless of that, I think you should apply to schools here in California. I’m sure your mother agrees.”

Piper nodded. “I definitely do. If you want to dorm which I know you do, you can stay on the west coast. There’s nothing for you in New York but burglaries and drunken hobos on the sidewalk.”

“And my daughter,” Nick said without thinking. “Brooklyn. She’s in New York too.”

The table went quiet after his little sisters gasped. Jeff felt suffocated. Literally. He pulled at his tie a bit as the room suddenly got hotter.

“Your what?” Piper asked. Her face changed completely and Jeff wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her like that. “You’re joking but it isn’t funny.”

Nick shook his head no. “I’m actually not joking. I found out that I have a daughter and Blaine met her during one of his business trips. Her name is Brooklyn and she lives in the city, and when I get there I’m going to make every effort to be in her life.”

Jeff licked his lips and looked up as the waiter started to put drinks onto the table. Though he smiled, he must’ve sensed the tension in the air and quickly walked off. Jeff quickly downed his Coke and the table watched him before resuming.

“How long have you known this?” Nathan asked.

“We’re aunties!” Anna said, smiling at Jeff and then her mother. “And you’re a grandma!”

Piper grimaced at the word.

“When do we get to meet her? Can we go to New York?” Allison asked.

“How do you even know this is your child?” Nathan continued. “When did you have time to fly across the country and impregnate someone? Is there a DNA test somewhere?”

Nick  sighed. “She used to live here in Long Beach.”

“Nathan please lower your voice.”

“Amazing,” Nathan shook his head. “Do you see why you need me in your life son?”

Nick laughed. “So you can show me how _not_ to father my child? I’ll be fine.”

“Nick –”

“And Jeff here… we’ve been screwing.”

The restaurant went quiet this time. Jeff closed his eyes. This was _exactly_ what he was afraid would happen.

“Well more than that, he’s my boyfriend. We like each other and have for a while now, and he’s okay with me having Brooklyn,” Nick looked at his parents. “I’m not asking for your approval because he and I are going to NYC whether or not you think we should. I’m simply telling you this because I’m tired of keeping him hidden. He deserves more respect than he’s been given –”

Nathan looked at Piper. “This is why I told you I had doubts about him hanging around Blaine and that gay boy of his.”

Jeff clenched the fork he was holding. “Do not talk about Kurt and Blaine like that.”

“Let’s just get out of here,” Nick stood up, pulling off his tie and walking away from the table. Jeff stared at Nick’s dad a little longer before saying goodbye to the twins and following him.

When Nathan looked around the restaurant, people pretended to not have seen everything that went on and resumed with their conversations, mumbling things. Piper took a deep breath and looked at her daughters.

….

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

_Knock. Knock._

_Bang._

Blaine groaned and moved his face further into the pillow. He threw his arm over Kurt and mumbled. “Not right now. I’m tired.”

Burt Hummel rolled his eyes and flicked the light switch. Kurt started complaining, mumbling ‘turn it off’, but, still nothing.

Burt walked over to the queen sized bed, kicking it a couple times. He watched Blaine roll over now – the boy’s _Kurt_ tattoo on full display and his sweat pants not high enough to hide his _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Boxers._ “Not right now. Jerk off or something.”

Burt’s eyes went wide and then he grimaced. “Blaine!”

Kurt jumped up at his father’s voice and fell off of the bed. On the floor, he groaned, crawling over to dresser for a t-shirt. “Christ! You scared me dad.”

Burt ignored him and grabbed Blaine by the ankle, yanking him forward. “Anderson! It’s almost 11pm. Go home.”

Blaine slowly started to wake up and then realized Burt was staring at him. The words said registered and he yawned, sitting up. “Go home. M’kay. Sorry.”

Kurt stood up and his father looked at him. He shook his head at the hip piercings as Kurt struggled to get into a t-shirt he sleepily put on backwards. “Is your homework done?”

Kurt nodded, rubbing his eyes and pulling at the hem of the shirt. “Yes.”

Blaine stood up and went over to his basketball jersey. He didn’t bother putting it on, just sleep-walking over to his sneakers.

“Your dog ate one of my pillows. There are feathers all over my room.”

Kurt went back over to his bed and lay down. Wasn’t his problem.

Blaine stared at the man. “You bought him for me.”

“Next time he’s over here, watch him Blaine,” Burt walked out of the room. “And go home.”

Blaine nodded. “Alright. I love you.”

“Brat,” Burt went down the hall and Blaine smiled, tiredly dragging a hand over his face. He traipsed in his sneakers over to Kurt and kissed him on the forehead. “Goodnight baby. I’m going to ATV it to school tomorrow if you’re down.”

Kurt smiled and nodded. “You’re so obnoxious. Love you.”

Blaine kissed his cheek. “Love you. Later.”

Kurt closed his eyes and after his boyfriend turned the light off, he was easily drifting back to sleep.

Blaine whistled for Diesel and grabbed his keys, locking up after he left the Hummel residence. “I’m going to try and get Unc to drive us home. I don’t plan on walking buddy.”

Diesel barked and walked beside him, going next door.

For some reason, Mikey was still awake when Blaine went inside. He was shirtless like his cousin was and standing on the coffee table, watching Boomerang and eating a Yoplait cup. Blaine raised an eyebrow at him and closed the door after Diesel walked in. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Blainey!”

“Shouldn’t _you_ be in bed?” Don asked, coming out of the kitchen. He smiled, bending down to say hello to the Boxer dog.

“Yes and if you give me a ride home I’d be appreciative.” Blaine grinned, walking over to his cousin and picking him up. After doing a crazy wrestling move, he slammed him down on the sofa and Mikey laughed. “I was sleeping at Kurt’s and Burt got in.”

Don nodded. “I forgot tonight was his late night. Well I’ll get dressed. Mikey can come with. Car rides tend to tire him out.” Don walked towards the stairs as Blaine sat on the couch next to his cousin and looked at the _Droopy_ episode playing.

“I took a nap after mommy brought me home and now I can’t sleep.”

Blaine nodded. “That’s how it works. I’ll tell you everything I learned in math class today and it’ll put you right to bed.”

Mikey laughed. “Sounds boring.”

“Uh huh.”

“I invited Danielle to my birthday party. She’s going to be my date.”

Blaine smirked, shaking his head. “Dani has been bragging about it on Facebook. I know. Congrats, she’s a cutie.”

“Yeah,” Mikey started to pull his shirt on. “But it’s only because I invited my friend who is bringing a date. Even though my friend likes me. I think they’re trying to make me jealous so I’m doing it too.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “You’re still four. What the heck do you know about being jealous?”

Mikey slid into his slippers. “I know lots o’stuff.”

“Ok,” Blaine laughed and picked Diesel up, scratching the dog playfully. “So what’s her name?”

Mikey looked at him. “Who’s name?”

Blaine gave him an obvious look. “The girl?”

“Oh,” Mikey shook his head no. “He’s not a girl. His name is Neil.”

Blaine stared for a while wondering if his cousin was being serious, but just then Uncle Don came down stairs fully dressed and ready to go.

“C’mon boys.”

Mikey took off running and jumped into his father’s arms as Blaine stood up, still thinking about this _Neil_ and if Mikey was for real. But why would he joke about it? And why wouldn’t he like a boy after everything with Kurt. But he was 5 years old… but then Blaine had just turned 7 when he fell in love with Kurt so who’s to say it wasn’t possible? And this probably wasn’t love but it was a crush and that was something.

What happened to Lynne?

“You listening to me?”

Blaine looked up at his uncle after getting Mikey strapped into his car seat. “I’m sorry, I totally missed it…”

Don strapped in. “I was saying that I’m going to sign you up for the tournament in November.”

Blaine got in the passenger side and shook his head no. “I gotta focus on school and crap.”

Don smiled and pulled out of the driveway. “True, but you do have obligations as a professional, Blaine. Your sponsors need you to make them money. I’m sure you can handle both, you’re doing a good job.”

Blaine scoffed. “I’m doing a great job because I have so many people on my back to do a great job. We’re not discussing what’d happen if I had to carry the weight of school and practicing for competitions.”

Don nodded. “Well I’ll see what I can do, but this is important and you know that.”

Blaine nodded.

Mikey closed his eyes in the back seat as Diesel stuck his head out the window.

“So what was that whole incident outside the stores today?”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Something I don’t want you to worry about. I’m a big boy.”

“Yeah,” Don turned the corner, driving along the boardwalk. The cops drove by and Blaine remembered the night before, smiling to himself. “Just do not forget that there are more people that want to see you fall than there are that want to see you do well. Don’t let them knock you down.”

Blaine was quiet.

“It’s a lot harder to stand back up than it is to fall down.”

“You’re right unc,” Blaine stared out the window. “You’re right.”

….

Friday night had come and the boys found themselves on the beach. Kurt had a very long day that included his Dance examination (which he passed with flying colors, thank goodness) and starting that stupid group project with good ol’ John – which was basically like working with himself, only by himself Kurt could accomplish more with a lot less attitude. But now it was the weekend ad he could just chillax.

He watched Blaine surf on a wave as the sun got lower in the sky, and Jeff was asleep on the towel beside him. Kurt looked down at the blonde and stole the book he was reading before he passed out, and opened the pages to start it himself. When he looked up, he saw José and Ian laughing with Shane and shook his head, hoping all the things that Liam went on about weren’t true.

He knew it was risky laughing in Liam’s face when the man came up to him after class and asked him to deliver on their deal. He also knew it was risky saying that he never agreed to any deal in the first place and that Liam came up with the lie about the nurse on his own, but he didn’t care. He got an A on his Dance exam and he intended on continuing to flourish. And just like he told Blaine, if Liam wanted to be a creep, he could continue to do so without Kurt’s help.

Blaine ran across the beach after getting out of the water. Nick took his Mickey Mouse surfboard and decided to use it next. It was when he ran over to Kurt, all dripping wet with his sexy body looking particularly sexable in the dark swim trunks he wore, Kurt remembered.

“You were totally supposed to skinny dip for me.”

Blaine smirked then burst out laughing at the memory and took a seat on the towel, getting both Kurt and Jeff wet. “That’s not going to happen. Sorry.”

“It definitely will and it’s happening tonight.” Kurt smiled and tossed the book aside. “You look really good by the way.”

Blaine licked his lips. “We didn’t celebrate your A yet have we?”

Kurt shook his head no. “We can celebrate it with you skinny dipping.”

“Don’t you remember Naomi saying there were sharks in that water?” Blaine said, horrified.

Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Oh, that’s the dummy who made me drop my phone,” Blaine looked over and gestured to the direction.

Kurt squinted. “He’s with Peter. Oh god.”

“The kid’s name is Tommy. He and some other assholes have been going on and on about how because I go to Pace now I’m some loser. Apparently I’m not cool anymore.”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah. You’re pretty much Finn, Puck, Mike, and that other kid when they joined Glee club. You’ve lost your cool card to them but as long as you’re happy, who gives a damn what they think?”

Blaine nodded. “For sure. I didn’t tell you –”

“Wait, they’re not messing with you or anything, right?”

Blaine waved it off. “Petey… he doesn’t really mess around with anyone in Legacy anymore but the guys he’s with, I guess after winning the championship this year and getting sponsored, and then leaving JFK they think I’m claiming to be better than them.”

Kurt handed Blaine a towel to use and watched his boyfriend dry off. “No disrespect to them but I’m pretty sure you are better than them…”

Blaine smiled. “Anyway, my uncle said that there’s this competition in November that he wants me to look into.”

Kurt made a face and shook his head no. “That’s when the winter recital is. We need to focus on that. He gets that, right?”

Blaine nodded after a moment. “Yeah, that’s what I was telling him.”

“GUESS WHO’S BACK! BACK AGAIN!”

Kurt smiled and looked up at the sound of the voice. “David!”

Justin popped out from behind him. “And _meeeee_!”

Blaine laughed at them and shot up, running after Kurt to jump on his friends.

“My OTP’s hugging me,” David said, wrapping an arm around Kurt and Blaine and laughing as Justin got in on it. “I’ve missed all of you assholes.”

Jeff woke up and smiled when he saw the commotion. “Orgy hug, count me in,” he got up and ran over, tackling everyone to the ground. Kurt cursed him out but he ignored it. “We’re going to have a sleepover at my place. I just got the _Pretty Little Liars_ seasons box sets and tubs and tubs of popcorn.”

Blaine made heart eyes at the mention of popcorn. “I’m in.”

Nick ran over, soaking wet and jumped on top of the group.

“This is gonna be the best weekend ever!”


	4. The Gemini Twins

" _Ok, you really need to eat something. Hanna, give her your cookie."_

_"You give her your cookie. I'm hungry."_

Blaine rolled over on the bed and stared at the TV screen. Everyone had fallen asleep but him and Cooper who was on the floor next to a sprawled out Justin, incredibly enthralled with the current episode of  _Pretty Little Liars_. Blaine wasn't sure why they were even watching it to begin with, but at the mention of hunger and cookies, his stomach growled.

Kurt stretched in his sleep and his hand draped over the small of his boyfriend's back. Blaine looked over at him and smiled before looking back at the TV. Kurt was always wild in his sleep, but he was also incredibly beautiful as he slept too. Blaine acknowledged the fact that he was a huge sap for thinking that.  _He's beautiful when he sleeps,_ he said again in his head, smiling like an idiot. It was true, though. Kurt had been beautiful since the very second God merely thought to create him, he was sure of it.

"How is it that your stomach is growling when you ate practically all of the popcorn?" Cooper asked as he listened to the dialogue on screen. Blaine shrugged and sat up, kissing his sleeping boyfriend on the cheek before getting out of the bed.

"I'm still growing. You know that."

Cooper only laughed. Blaine ignored him and stepped over Jeff who was sprawled out on an air mattress next to his boyfriend who had kind of fallen onto the floor. All of him except his left arm was on the floor, at least. Blaine thought about putting Nick back onto the air bed when CJ spoke again, saying something about Blaine needing to not eat this late at night. Sure it was like 3 in the morning but it was never too late for  _another_ midnight snack.

Diesel had fallen asleep outside the door and Blaine smiled at the growing pup before jogging down the steps. It seemed like Mikey spent more time in Diesel's bed than Diesel did. When he got downstairs, Blaine shook his head having noticed that someone left the TV on in the living room. He could already hear his mother going on about the utility bills when she received them. He turned it off and went into the kitchen, scanning the contents of the fridge and singing softly to himself.

He wondered what was on the agenda for today. He knew for sure that Kurt had to help out at his dad's Long Beach shop and thought that maybe him and the guys would stop in if they were up for it. Then he remembered that the beach house needed to be decorated for Mikey's birthday party, so hanging out at Burt's shop probably wouldn't be a plan that came to fruition. One thing that was certain was David would be going back to his university after Mikey's party on Sunday. It sucked that they didn't get to see him as often, but Blaine intended to make the most of this weekend while they had it.

" _The moon may be high_  
But I can't see a thing in the sky  
'Cause I only have eyes for you—"

"Are you singing to the leftover pizza again?" Kurt tiredly walked into the kitchen of the beach house and smiled as he took a seat at the counter. "I'm starting to feel like the side ho."

Blaine smiled and turned around to see his boyfriend. "What're you doing up? Did I wake you?"

Kurt pouted, leaning on the flat surface as Blaine walked over to him. "You got up and I felt cold. And then your brother obnoxiously laughed at something I'm sure wasn't as funny as he made it out to be so I decided to come and find you."

Blaine laid a kiss on Kurt's cheek again. "I'm sorry, babe. We can go back upstairs and cuddle until you fall back to sleep. I just wanted to get something to munch on."

Kurt shook his head no and stood up. "I don't want to go back to sleep. Let's go on a date."

Blaine lifted an eyebrow and stared at the adorable smile on the boy's cherry lips. "A date? At 3 in the morning?"

"It can be a five minute date if you want." Kurt took Blaine's hand and led him to the sliding glass doors, stepping out onto the deck. "You literally live  _on_ the beach. We can take a romantic stroll under the moonlight."

Blaine didn't bring up the fact that they were only in their pajama pants and slippers as Kurt walked him around the pool. "It doesn't have to be a five minute date. Let me go get a blanket and stuff."

Kurt smiled and ran his fingers through his hair, coiffing the messy bed-style up straight. "And maybe a sweater for me? My nipples are already hard. It's freezing."

Blaine winked and laughed as Kurt kicked his butt, retreating back to the sliding glass doors. "I'll be right back cutie."

As he watched Blaine go, Kurt smiled to himself and walked around the patio. He looked up at the skyline of Long Beach's city, and over the beautiful beach that was actually quiet for once. People would often hang out by the shore at this time – the kids of Premium being the major culprits – but tonight it was silent. Kurt didn't complain.

He yawned and thought about how good the nap was. Even though the guys had planned to go back to Jeff's place for their  _Pretty Little Liars_ marathon, they somehow ended up at the beach house with a few beers and loud, pointless conversation, stuffing their faces with unhealthy crap and spreading out all over Blaine's room in front of the TV. It was good having everyone together again. Kurt missed it. He missed David and how they could talk about pretty much anything,  _especially_ clothes, and he missed Justin because he was eye candy and he possessed other amazing qualities. Whatever those qualities were. There had to be something other than his abs, but the abs were definitely amazing quality number one.

Diesel barked from somewhere in the beach house and Kurt turned around, smiling when he saw the puppy standing with his paws against the sliding glass doors. He shook his head and walked over, easing his way inside and bending down to pick him up.

"What're you doing up, monster? Huh?" The dog barked and licked his face, making Kurt grimace as he leant his head away. "We've talked about that."

He walked into the living room for Diesel's leash and heard Blaine and Cooper upstairs fussing about something as always. With a smile, Kurt put the purple Dolce & Gabbana leash around the dog's collar and walked him towards the back of the home again.

A breeze from the ocean hit Kurt as soon as he stepped onto the patio and he thought about kicking Blaine for not hurrying up with the sweater. Diesel tried to drag him towards the sand and Kurt laughed, holding the leash tightly. He looked up at the sky and smiled at how beautiful the stars and the moon were. It reminded him of the time he'd go Hocking Hills back in Ohio with his father and mother and they'd be able to star gaze, and how much his mother loved it. It seemed that the things Kurt could remember about his mother were limited, but he grasped tightly to the memories he had and smiled whenever he was reminded of her, despite how much he missed her warmth.

The glass doors slid open and then closed and Blaine shook his head, approaching with a backpack full of things slung over one shoulder and his guitar in hand. "Your brother is dumb."

Kurt scoffed. "What did  _your_ brother do now?"

"He's just being an ass wipe. Something about curfew, I stopped listening." Blaine looked down at Diesel who started jumping on him in excitement. "I thought I told you to go back to sleep, boy."

"He wants to hang out with the daddies. Thank you, honey." Kurt smiled as Blaine helped him into one of his old Hollister hoodies, but he didn't bother to zip it up. "So, where to?"

Blaine smoothed out the sweater on Kurt's back. "Uh. Let's walk around a bit before we find a spot on the beach. I'm legit in the mood for ice cream."

Kurt smiled and began to walk back towards the boardwalk. "I really think you're pregnant, honey. First the extra pickles on your bacon cheeseburger at the diner and now ice cream runs at 3 something AM…"

Blaine shouldered his guitar and smirked, following after him. "I can't wait to give birth to little Zayn Luke Harry Calum Niall Sheeran Anderson-Hummel. Or Anderson-Levine. I don't know if he's yours yet—don't hit me!" Blaine laughed as he ran across the beach to the boardwalk, Kurt and Diesel running after him.

"I hope he comes out with terribly dyed Adam Levine 2K14 hair if that's the case," Kurt said with a laugh, slowing down and shaking his head. "Butt head."

…

The two got to the 7-Eleven and each got Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches. Kurt grimaced as he looked at the Slurpees and had numerous flashbacks as they left the store. He would probably never be able to enjoy a slushy ever.

They held hands and walked through the city in their pajamas, probably getting weird looks from the few who drove by but not caring at all. Kurt ate his ice cream sandwich as Blaine started talking about how he felt the baby kick and how good of a dad Adam Levine would be. The blue eyed boy rolled his eyes and smiled, stopping in the middle of the street to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips. He pulled away eventually after Diesel tugged at the leash a few times, and Blaine smiled, following after them.

"What was that for?"

Kurt turned back and smiled. "Because I love you."

Blaine smiled, watching the two walk as he opened his ice cream sandwich. They neared the beach again and the teen chewed, looking up and seeing the empty skate park. He immediately thought about the competition in November and sighed. David and Justin had mentioned it but Blaine changed the conversation, not wanting to bring attention to the fact that he probably wouldn't be competing.

"We should sneak in. It's been a while since we were here." School kept them pretty busy nowadays. Long gone were the days of summer where a majority of their time was spent at the ramps. Kurt stopped walking and looked over to the park. "You want to?"

Blaine smiled, leaning against the gate. "You're not afraid we'll get in trouble? And besides, neither of us has a bicycle or skateboard right now so I don't see the point in being in  _this_ type of park."

"So?" Kurt asked as he went over to the entrance and ignored the 'Park Closes at 10PM' sign. He walked in and took Diesel's leash off, letting the puppy wander off by himself. He started to walk over to the ramps Blaine frequented but his boyfriend stayed outside of the park, watching him through the fence.

"What're you doing, beautiful?"

Kurt walked in his slippers over to the benches he first hung out with Mikey at. "Come on! It's not like this is the first time we ever snuck into a park. And you can participate in a freaking police chase but you can't do this? This is nothing on your list of felonies, sir."

"Ha." Blaine licked his lips and walked in after finishing the ice cream, adjusting the guitar strap over his chest. He listened as Diesel barked from somewhere in one of the skater domes and smiled, going over to his boyfriend. "I just want to know what you're up to, that's all."

"Nothing." Kurt smiled, leaving the benches and going in between the ramps. His hips swayed as he went and Blaine smiled, remembering that spot all too well. He walked over too, placing the bag on the ground and the guitar on top of it. It was really; really dark in between the ramps, but Blaine could make out his boyfriend's silhouette as he approached. Kurt had stopped walking, standing completely still in the middle of the path, and he laughed when Blaine placed him against the mass of wooden wall.

"It was a first kiss to tell the kids about, wasn't it?" Blaine asked, smiling as he leant his forehead against Kurt's. Then teen's blue eyes sparkled as he smiled.

"I'm sure little… Zayn Harry Luke –"

"Zayn Luke Harry Calum Niall Sheeran. You don't even know his name—"

"I don't even know if he's my kid," Kurt said with a scoff. He then laughed, but it was interrupted by Blaine who softly kissed him, just for a second, and then pulled away with a smile.

"If I had to choose between listening to music and listening to the sound of your laughter for the rest of my life, guess what I'd choose."

Kurt bit his lip into a grin and leant his head back against the ramp. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say my laughter, though I'd never want you to have to choose between two things you love."

Blaine looked at him softly for a moment and then Kurt leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss. It was very reminiscent of their first kiss in this very same spot, though the teasing wasn't there, but it was still just as gentle and made Blaine's heart thump in the same way. Blaine slid his hands down to the boy's waist underneath the hoodie, playing at the bare skin with his fingertips and deepening it.

Kurt folded his arms over his boyfriend's shoulders and drew him closer. He sucked on Blaine's top lip and carded his fingers through the bushy afro, smiling into it when Blaine hummed sweetly. There couldn't be anything better than this feeling. It was impossible.

Nothing would make Kurt's heart soar the way Blaine Anderson's kiss did. Not the bright lights of New York City, not getting into NYADA or meeting his favorite designer. No amount of success. None of it was capable of making Kurt feel the thrill of life in all its glory, and even though all he had was Blaine Anderson's kiss, and that he hadn't yet tasted any of the others in the ways he wanted to, he knew that it didn't matter. Kissing Blaine Anderson would always be Kurt Hummel's favorite past time, and the thing he most looked forward to when he woke up every single day for the rest of his life.

A few minutes later, Blaine had pulled back, staring deep into the boy's blue eyes. He looked wrecked in the sexiest way; red parted lips and lust blown eyes staring dead into his own. Kurt smiled at him and that alone was enough to make him feel weak.

"I love you, Kurt. You don't know how grateful I am that it's you I was made for." He smiled, shaking his head as laughing a little almost as if he was trying to process something that he knew he wouldn't be able to. "I know I could search forever and I still wouldn't find a single soul that makes me feel the things that you do. I'm crazy about you, love."

Kurt took a deep breath and looked at him. He simply looked at Blaine in the barely there light that somehow worked its way between the ramps in the skate park, focusing on the gorgeous look in those hazel eyes. Blaine was completely his and the fact that Kurt could say that without it being some weird dream or fantasy—the fact that they belonged to each other was something Kurt wasn't sure he'dever get used to. He called it Short End of the Stick Syndrome. He'd had it most of his life. Now though, it was like he was suddenly cured. Blaine Anderson had taken away so much of the pain when he showed up, or when Kurt showed up, and pain seemed to be a thing of the past. "Can we go to Vegas right now?" Kurt questioned with a smile. "Sami can be our witness. I just really want to marry you."

Blaine blushed and took his hand, slowly walking them out into the open again. "Is that really how you plan on proposing? Where's my 90 karat ring? And do you think I'm getting married in my PJs? Nuh uh boo boo."

Kurt burst out laughing as Blaine whistled for Diesel. He bent down to grab the things he'd left and Kurt watched the dog stumble over. "You're the romantic one, B. You know that."

Blaine smiled.

"The next time I propose, it'll be 100 times better. Promise."

"I'm going to be the one to propose though," Blaine said.

Kurt smirked. "Yeah, ok. You're a natural Jerry Seinfeld aren't you?"

"Cuter and funnier," Blaine answered. "But I'm being for real. Anyway, are we headed to the beach next or would you like to break and enter? Maybe sell some drugs? We should just continue to build your rap sheet while we're at it."

Kurt laughed but otherwise ignored him and left the park, Diesel sniffing and taking his time until Blaine called for him again.

They walked to the beach, not too far from the beach house but not entirely close either. Kurt looked up at the sky as Blaine sang more Sinatra behind him, smiling to himself.

"You know for a city, you can really see the stars pretty well over here in Long Beach. I love New York but you can barely see any of the stars there."

Blaine looked up at the sky at the mention of it and smiled. "Yeah, it is pretty beautiful. I know a lot about the stars and astronomy. Constellations, all of that."

Kurt skipped on the sand, smiling as Diesel chased after him. He bent down to rub his belly and did some baby talk before looking up at his boyfriend. "Since when do you know  _anything_  about constellations?"

Blaine made a face, putting his bag down and pulling out the blanket. "What does that mean?"

Kurt smiled and rubbed Diesel behind the ears. "I'm just saying that you never talk about the topic so I'm wondering if you're bullshitting."

"You know that math and sciences are like the only core subjects I'm decent in," Blaine said, sitting down on the blanket. "I take interest in that stuff. You can ask me anything."

Kurt licked his lips and joined him on the blanket, laying his head on Blaine's thighs and looking up at him. "What's the second closest star to us?"

"Proxima Centauri," Blaine said effortlessly. "C'mon. Something harder."

"Well I don't know much about this so it's not like I'll know if you're pulling my leg."

Blaine ran his fingers along Kurt's chest, bare underneath the unzipped hoodie. "You know me better than anyone, and you know when I'm lying."

Kurt smiled and looked up at the sky. "So do you know about mythology and astrology and stuff too? Where are those stars?"

Blaine looked up and pointed. The beach was completely quiet save the two of them, and Diesel walking along the sand watching the waves come in. "That constellation is the Leo. You see that star? Follow my finger… it's not as easy to see during this time of year but, the Leo constellation was named such because it actually resembles the lion."

Kurt followed Blaine's finger, connecting the stars and smiling. "And those stars are?"

"I know the head is Regulus. I can't remember the others now."

Kurt nodded.

"The constellation is easier to see during spring. And you know, like in the country where there aren't as many lights."

"They say Leos are confident, ambitious, loyal, and generous you know," Kurt said proudly. "You picked a good significant other."

Blaine smiled. "Leos are also stubborn."

"And Cancers aren't?" Kurt said, laughing as he shoved his boyfriend. Blaine pinched his thigh.

"We're moody and clingy."

"Sounds right… ow!" Kurt laughed, batting Blaine's hand away.

"But also dependable and caring," Blaine said proudly. "You know what's fun? The Cancer constellation is between the Leo and the Gemini twins."

Kurt sat up now and looked at the sky. "Can you show me where Cancer is? And who's a Gemini?"

Blaine pointed to the stars in the Cancer constellation. "It's a lot messier than your constellation, but, I guess that's fitting because I'm a mess."

Kurt smiled and looked at his boyfriend. "You're my mess and you're perfect so shut up."

Blaine grinned. Kurt was supposed to say stuff liked that. He wanted the D. "Our relationship is a Gemini. June the 4th, you know? So we have you," Blaine looked at the lion in the sky, "and then me right next to you," then the Cancer, "and beside us is… us. At least to me."

Kurt gave him an odd look.

"The twins. Those two stars are the heads, and the other stars that make up the constellation are actually their bodies. They're like stick figures."

Kurt laughed. "I don't see any of this. It just looks like a clutter of beautiful diamonds to me."

Blaine smirked and pulled out his phone. "I didn't want to look at my phone during our date but you're being a bum right now."

"I just don't see it, I'm not being a bum!" Kurt laughed, climbing into Blaine's lap and looking down at the screen. "That's the worst picture of me you could have as a lock screen by the way."

"You're only saying that because you're asleep in it," Blaine went to Safari and searched the Gemini constellation, showing the image to his boyfriend. "Ok. They connected the stars perfectly. Do you see it now?"

Kurt smiled. "Ok. Stick figures holding hands. It's cute," he looked up at the sky and tried to locate the heads of the twins again.

"You see the bright one? That's Pollux. Next to it is Castor. I'm Castor and you're Pollux."

Kurt found both stars and tried to map out the constellation. "Why am I Pollux? It sounds like a disease."

"Because you're the brightest star. But just like the twins we're inseparable," Blaine said, making a goofy face. "And I mean individually as the Leo and the Cancer, we're certain people. We have our strengths and weaknesses of course, which is expected. But together as the Gemini we're pretty fucking unstoppable. We're going to go far together, my love. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Kurt looked Blaine in the eyes until the older teen looked up at the stars again. He smiled. "Now that you know I'm a dork, let's sing songs."

Kurt broke into a smile and watched Blaine reach for the guitar he had made for him. "Yeah." He climbed off of his lap and back onto the blanket. "What do you want to sing?"

Blaine started to strum and smiled down at the ring on Kurt's finger as the boy touched the bridge of the instrument.

_I should ink my skin with your name_

Kurt laughed. "You already did. You're crazy."

"We've established that."

"And if you think I'm not going to do the same someday you're  _really_ crazy."

Blaine smiled. " _And take my passport out again - And just replace it…"_

Kurt took the next part. " _See I could do without a tan - On my left hand, - Where my fourth finger meets my knuckle…_ "

Blaine smiled. "One day. After I propose."

"Doubt you'll get to," Kurt said with a smile. "I'm going to beat you to it. I did it with the ring pop and I'll do it with the real deal."

Blaine bit his lip, smiling. "Did I tell you I dreamt singing this song to you once?"

Kurt thought for a moment and shook his head no.

"I did. Before we said 'I love you'. You told me you loved me in the dream and I didn't get to say it back and it literally drove me crazy."

Kurt looked at him as he strummed the guitar. "Tell me now."

Blaine smiled. "I love you."

"I love you more," Kurt leant forward and kissed him before he could argue. "And we have to do something about that subconscious of yours."

Blaine chuckled as he looked out over the restless sea. "Yeah."

Kurt lay back on the blanket and looked up at the sky. He looked at the constellations Blaine taught him about and smiled, especially thinking about the twins. He sang over the melody as Diesel came from wherever he'd been playing with his chew toy and watched Blaine play as per usual.

" _Are the stars out tonight? I don't know if it's cloudy or bright, 'Cause I only have eyes for you, dear…"_

Blaine smiled as he got chills from the beautiful voice. "You know the stars are there. You're looking at them and they're gorgeous."

Kurt looked at him. "I only see the two of us when I look up there now."

Blaine tried to hide his blush, looking down at Diesel instead. Kurt was everything. He sang next.

" _The moon may be high, But I can't see a thing in the sky, 'Cause I only have eyes for you."_

…

"David?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Justin sighed. He crawled forward on the floor and looked around the bedroom. The bed was empty but the sheets were all messy. Kurt and Blaine probably went to mess around in the pool or do something kinky. Cooper was sleeping on the floor; his head propped up on a couple pillows. Justin poked him a couple times to see how out of it the man was before climbing over him. Part of him wondered if Cooper would ever be his brother-in-law. His sister Jasmine never shut up about him, and they seemed to be taking things seriously. He liked them as a couple but he didn't know if he was ready to admit that out loud.

When he got over to the air mattress that Nick and Jeff were sleeping on, Justin shook the blond a few times in attempts to wake him up. He had to plan this smartly—he wanted to go hang out at the diner and to be honest he was having a serious lusting for apple pie. Any time he wanted to get food, he needed to get Jeff on his side. There was strength in numbers and Jeff would always be team 'Let's Go To The Diner Even Though It's 4 A.M.'. Jeff groaned at first but eventually he rolled over and glared at a very shirtless Justin.

"What? What is it?"

Justin moved closer. "I want apple pie. Let's go to Layla's please?"

Jeff rubbed his eyes and Nick started to move around a bit on his side of the bed. "What time is it dude?"

Justin checked the clock on the wall over Blaine's BMX posters. "Five to four in the morning. Please? I want a milkshake too. I haven't been here in so long. I qualified for the competitions. Take me out of apple pie."

Jeff nodded and sat up. "Ok. I'm hungry too."

_Jackpot._

"Nicholas," the skater said, rubbing the brunette's back. "Let's get dressed and go to Layla's."

Nick shook his head no. "We'll go for breakfast."

"C'mon…" Justin kicked the air mattress and Nick almost fell off. Blaine had put him back on there when he returned upstairs for his guitar and a sweater for Kurt and things, but he was sliding off again. "You have to be fair," Justin continued.

Nick slowly drifted back to sleep. David called out for them to be quiet. Justin rolled his eyes.

"Just the two of us can go, then." Jeff stumbled up and looked at the bed. "I was going to say we could ask Kurt and Blaine but apparently they aren't here."

"What if they snuck out to go get food without us?" Justin stood to his feet and looked at Jeff. "I bet you they did. You know Blaine likes hogging him. Ever since Kurt got here."

"If I can't go back to sleep," David began. "I'm literally going to murder the both of you."

Justin wondered where his shirt was as he went towards the door. "I'm going to pee first. Meet me outside."

Jeff nodded as he looked for his slippers. "Uh huh."

…

As melodies from a beautiful acoustic guitar filled the air, Kurt lay on the beach towel continuing to stare up at the stars. He didn't know how long he and Blaine had been outside; simply enjoying their closeness and the serenity of the beach while they still could, but he loved every second. Even moments like this when they weren't saying anything—just existing—were the moments that he would never trade for the world. Kurt took the time to enjoy it while it lasted. The sun would be rising soon and so would the rest of Long Beach. It was bad enough that about 15 minutes ago, Justin and Jeff walked past them being their loud, blond, rambunctious and  _hungry_ selves right when Kurt and Blaine were in the middle of kissing. A lot. But this bit of peace they'd settled into now was increasingly beautiful.

Diesel had finally fallen asleep. Blaine smiled at the dog who tucked himself against Kurt's body, underneath the teen's hoodie to stay warm. He looked down at his boyfriend who would usually have a fit at something like this, but Kurt only looked up at the night sky; encompassed in a sense of calmness. Blaine looked away from his boyfriend and down at his guitar, playing softly.

Their feet were touching at the end of the blanket. Blaine still wore his slippers but Kurt was barefooted, and the younger teen rubbed the sand from the bottom of his foot off onto his boyfriend's ankle and shin. Blaine smirked at him, thinking about retaliating, but he let the brown haired boy get away with it. A breeze from the water kissed their skin as a tide came in, and Blaine considered putting on a shirt before thinking that the task would take too much effort.

A few minutes passed, and as Blaine plucked at the strings of his guitar while singing something lovely in Italian, Kurt's closed his eyes and reveled in the beautiful voice. For a moment, he thought about everything they'd done on their not-a-five-minute-date and he smiled to himself. He wondered how he had gotten so lucky and hoped that this wasn't a fluke. Even though they'd been joking around with the marriage talk for a while now, Kurt knew for sure that there was an undertone of seriousness that both boys had on the matter. Yes, they were young. Both were only 17 and hadn't been together long enough to take such a conversation seriously, many would say, but despite that each knew with every fiber of their being that they were it for each other.

Foolish. Maybe. Probably definitely. Kurt didn't care. He felt Blaine's legs tangling with his own at the bottom of the blanket and opened his eyes, smiling softly as he heard the tune his boyfriend began to play. He recognized the melody of it like you'd recognize someone in a lineup, someone you looked dead in the eye after they committed the crime, and he couldn't stop the edges of his lips from curving up into the gentlest smile. "Love of the Loved," he said softly.

Blaine looked down at Kurt's face as his boyfriend smiled; his beautiful voice humming along. He began to sing it in Italian. " _Ogni volta che guardo nei tuoi occhi, vedo che c'è un paradiso bugie, e mentre guardo, vedo l'amore della persona amata_."

Kurt opened his eyes once more and their eyes met; locking as intensely as they always did. "You're perfect."

Blaine smiled, breaking the eye contact first. He looked down at his hands on the bridge of the guitar. "Hardly. I'm yours, though."

Kurt dropped his eyes to the puppy lying lazily over his ribcage, fast asleep. He smiled and played with the Boxer's floppy ears; Diesel not moving a bit. "I wish more than anything that you could've met her. She would've thought the world of you. I know it, Blaine."

Blaine continued to play the old Beatle's song, softly like he imagined Kurt's mom to sing it. He looked at Kurt and licked his lips. "I did meet her, babe."

Kurt laughed softly. "I mean—I wish she was still here to see that you love me and you're the one I'm with. That I'm going to be planning my life with you." Kurt looked up, at the stars again. "That when you would come to pick me up for a date, she'd be there telling my dad to relax because she know you're amazing."

"You have to trust that she knows. That she knew," Blaine said. He stopped playing for a while and looked out over the city. He remembered going to talk to her in Ohio and looked over to Kurt. "I think that she knows. I think she's proud of you baby. You're doing great here. Burt is too."

Kurt nodded.

"I know what you mean though, trust me." Blaine shrugged. "I think about my dad as well and if he was still here, I think about how much he'd love you, you know." Kurt looked down at the ring on his hand and touched it as Blaine continued. "I had this thing about wanting to make him proud even though I tended to screw up a bit, but I know for sure if he was here and he saw how happy I was, how  _incredible_ you are—how you somehow got even more incredible than you were when we were 7…" Kurt laughed at that, blushing. Blaine smiled and strummed the guitar. "He'd be really proud."

Kurt nodded again. "Maybe as proud as I am of you."

Blaine smiled, locking eyes with his boyfriend's eyes once more. "I love you."

Kurt smiled, looking back up at the sky. "And I love you, Blaine."

Their conversation ended on a quiet note—the soft lull from guitar playing old Beatle's tunes that were never released; just a secret place of nirvana for the two of them humming on the otherwise silent beach. Kurt fell back into his thoughts and Blaine seemed to be lost in his own for a while. He sang softly in English now whenever he came back to himself, and both boys basked in the beauty of what was their own magical space.

Kurt's eyes were closed as his thoughts moved on to what the weekend had in store. From there, thoughts of school and all that he needed to get done for the upcoming week plagued his mind. He hated to stress over it and never dared to complain, always trying to remind himself that he could've been rejected from Pace and in another high school. Even with that, sometimes the reminder of what he had to accomplish in what seemed like small amounts of times tended to feel like carrying the weight of the world. He fidgeted a bit, trying to relax. He'd prioritize and plan and it'd be alright. Even spending time with John would be alright. John sucked.

Blaine's guitar playing picked up and the older boy had turned on the blanket a bit, facing Kurt now. When the blue eyed teen felt the shift, he looked up at his boyfriend and smiled.

"Are you getting restless?"

Blaine shook his head no but Kurt knew him better than that. "I was going to ask you the same thing. You're thinking about stuff," he said in an accusing tone that made Kurt smile. "Share."

Kurt shook his head now. "It's nothing baby. You're really beautiful though."

Blaine blushed and rolled his eyes away, focusing on his guitar again. "You know where we should go for our honeymoon?"

Kurt looked back up at the sky, a small smile on his lips. "Where should we go for our honeymoon?"

Blaine began to play another Ed Sheeran instrumental now. "Dubai."

He didn't miss the confused face his boyfriend made. "Well it wouldn't be my first choice but I would love travelling there. Seeing different places."

Blaine nodded. "There's a Marvel Theme Park—Marvel Land—opening in Dubai and—"

"Oh my God, Blaine, we are  _not_ going to  _Marvel Land_  for our honeymoon. How much of a dork are you?!"

"Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg, race cars, lasers, aeroplanes - it's a duck blur—" Blaine bopped his head as he sung and Kurt shook his head, a wide smile on his lips.

"There's the confirmation. I'm in love with a dork."

"Might solve a mystery or rewrite history DUCK TALES ooh ooh every day they're out there making DUCK TALES ooh ooh—"

"Blaine," Kurt said with a laugh. Blaine played his guitar and sang louder, making Diesel move a bit.

"Tales of daring do bad and good luck tales ooh ooh—"

"Sing the  _Pokémon_ theme song."

Blaine smiled at Kurt and nodded. "I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is my real quest, to train them is my caaauuse—"

" _Phineas and Ferb_ ," Kurt said next in the midst of his giggling fit.

"There's 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it, so the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to speeend ittt." Blaine stopped dramatically and started strumming his guitar harder. "LIKE MAYBE—"

"The Jetsons."

Blaine laughed. "Meet George Jetson." He did the riffs with his mouth instead of the guitar and they both snorted at the silliness before Kurt sat up, shaking his head and gently easing Diesel onto the blanket beside him.

"I swear you're like an encyclopedia, Blaine."

The elder shrugged. "I know my theme songs. You know what's crazy is that everyone thinks I'm this super cool, BMX kid with the money and magazine covers but only you know the real me."

Kurt smiled as he sat forward a little more, moving Diesel from inside his sweater to the blanket. "The real you happens to be all of that. But at the same time you're really dorky and I like that I'm the only one that sees this side of you."

Blaine dropped his guitar down and moved closer into his boyfriend's side. "Is 'dorky' synonymous with sexy?"

"Not at all."

"Oh, cool," Blaine said, laughing as Kurt climbed into his lap. "Jerk."

"You love me," Kurt told him. "In fact you really, really want to kiss me right now."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Not even a little.

Kurt laughed. "Are you mad at me?"

"I think we should break up."

Kurt burst out laughing and pushed his boyfriend so that he was lying down. Blaine tried not to smile but as his back hit the blanket, the sound of Kurt's sing-song laughter made him feel all warm inside. "I think that you should reconsider that. We're the Gemini twins, remember? We can't break up. We're connected. I'm Pollus."

"Pollux," Blaine corrected. He watched as Kurt lay down next to him and wrapped his arm around the boy. "Fine. You don't have to beg. I'll take you back."

Kurt smiled as he moved into Blaine's body, snuggling close into the teen's side. He kissed the 'Kurt' tattoo on his chest before closing his eyes. "Thank you."

Blaine rubbed up and down his side; fingers trailing beneath the hoodie and teasing his skin. He played at the hip piercings and Kurt smiled. They were quiet again. He knew that it was a bit after 4 by now and they should probably get going. "You're working with Pops today at the shop, yes?"

Kurt nodded. "I might not, though. I just wanted to earn back the cash from buying Mikey's birthday gift that I spent way,  _way_  too much money on."

Blaine smiled. "Why won't you tell me what you got him? I told you what I got him."

"Because it's a surprise," Kurt said softly, closing his eyes. "But I may not be able to keep my eyes open if I take a shift today. May not be a good idea around all of those tools and," he trailed off to yawn. "What not."

"Don't go to sleep," Blaine said with a pout. "Please?"

Kurt looked up and Blaine had rolled them over so that the dark haired boy was lying between his legs. "I'm not going to sleep. But we should probably get back to the house. Cooper Jr. is probably having a titty attack."

Blaine laughed and looked across the sandy beach. He didn't know if he was ready to leave just yet, but it was pretty late. He placed a kiss to Kurt's neck and smiled.

"Do that again," his boyfriend whispered.

Blaine smirked, kissing the same spot. "You're adorable."

"Mm, again," Kurt said as he bit his lip. Blaine let the kiss linger this time and Kurt smiled. "Would  _adorable_  happen to be synonymous for sexy?"

Blaine scoffed. He laughed when Kurt pushed him away, rubbing at his bicep. "Hey, I'm kidding. You're fucking gorgeous and I could stare at you all day and night."

"Uh huh." Kurt leant up and stole another kiss. "How about we go home and watch a movie? I want to see something I haven't seen in a long time, you know? Something super corny and ridiculous but funny at the same time."

Blaine sat up and placed his hand on Kurt's knee. "We can do that.  _17_   _Again_ is on Netflix."

Kurt scrunched his face. "With Zac Efron? That wasn't corny, that was fantastic."

"It was corny," Blaine said. "You were blinded by Zac Efron being shirtless to see how corny it was."

Kurt ignored him because that was absolutely true. "What about  _The Hot Chick_? Remember that?"

Blaine started to pack his backpack. "Hm. Is that the one with Rob Schneider?"

"Where the chick turns into a dude and the dude turns into a chick," Kurt told him. "It was a wonderful movie."

"If there was ever any question that I loved you babe, just think about the fact that I'm going to watch a valley girl movie with you. That says it all."

Kurt smiled and sat up once more. "It was never a question, Mr. Anderson. My beautiful soulmate. Now get naked."

Blaine zipped his backpack closed and looked up at his boyfriend. He smiled and then wiggled his eyebrows. "I didn't know you had such a kink for sex on the beach. I guess we're getting married in Hawaii eh?"

Kurt grinned. "You're an idiot. But the cutest one I've ever met. Anyway," Blaine fluffed his hair to get any sand out as Kurt resumed, "you're getting naked so that you can skinny dip."

"Oh my gosh," Blaine said with a laugh, rolling his eyes away.

"You made a deal. Don't renege on your end of the deal." Kurt bit his lip; blue eyes scanning Blaine's body.

Blaine stood up and put his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants. "Wow," he said with a laugh. "I can't believe you'd make me do this."

"The beach is entirely empty," Kurt told him while he gestured around. Blaine looked around and sighed. "You won't get caught."

"This is the type of shit that happens on TV you know." The dark haired teen began to undo the drawstring. "The smart one goes 'Oh no one is around' and the dumb one, wanting to impress the smart hottie gets naked and does something dumb like skinny dip—"

"Well no one is around," Kurt said, laughing at Blaine's dramatic tone.

Blaine smiled, taking another quick look around the beach. He shook his head, not believing that he was about to do this for Kurt. He knew he'd do anything for Kurt but… this. C'mon. "I don't know about this, babe. What do I get in return?"

Kurt stood up, careful not to wake up the puppy. "Uh, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you held up your end of the deal, of course. What's better than that?"

Blaine licked his lips and lowered his pajamas. He had on Spiderman boxers beneath it and Kurt rolled his eyes. Dork.

"That's not enough for me," Blaine told him.

Kurt folded his arms with a small smirk. "Fine. I'll let you pick the movie."

Blaine stepped out of his shorts and left his Adidas slippers there in the sand. The chill from the ocean made him shift a bit as he stood there in only boxers. "Well I was going to watch  _The Hot Chick_ with you regardless."

Kurt smiled. "Fine. What would you like?"

Blaine knew Kurt expected something sexual from the look on his face, and he smiled at the boy's sexy smirk. "BMXPress magazine is having a dinner party in my uncle's honor in Los Angeles. There'll be this big red carpet event and performances inside before he gets his award. A lot of important people are going to be there."

Kurt hummed and nodded, smiling. "That sounds amazing. That's great for Donnie."

Blaine nodded too. "Yeah. So will you be my date?"

His boyfriend looked taken aback. Kurt's mouth dropped a bit before the words registered and he started to smile; his cheeks a little flustered. He pulled the sweater tighter around him and stepped closer. "Really?"

Blaine started to rub his arms, trying to get warm. "It's a black tie affair. I'll get to show the press that I'm serious about you. I think after the Colony interview, people think me being with a guy is a publicity stunt. Anyway." He looked around once more and then lowered his boxers a centimeter. "Will you be my date?"

Kurt wasn't sure why this was throwing him for a loop. Blaine asking him to accompany him to something like this shouldn't be a big deal. They'd gone to parties together; him showing up on Blaine's arms, and it wasn't a big deal. Well, it was kind of a big deal. Blaine went from being a 'straight' playboy of sorts to being with him exclusively and he was proud of that, and Kurt didn't understand it for a while. But this—they were going to something work-related together. Instead of partying with a bunch of juvenile delinquents, Kurt would be on Blaine's arm around important people in the industry and the press and media and… this was even worse than teenagers. Kurt didn't know many things that were worse than teenagers. Still, he swallowed the lump in his throat and approached his boyfriend who stood there in his Spidey boxers as if he were asking something extremely simple of Kurt. He took Blaine's hands and kissed him on the cheek. The skin was completely smooth, no stubble for the first time in a while. "It would be my honor, handsome."

Blaine smiled and squeezed Kurt's hands. He had that happy glint in his eyes that he got when Mikey made him laugh or his favorite song came on the radio in the car. It was genuine and raw, and Kurt loved it. "Great! It's next month."

"That'll give me time to get the perfect suit," Kurt said with a twirl, smiling at Blaine's laugh.

"Everything looks great on you."

"Uh huh." Kurt laughed. He blushed at the way his boyfriend looked at him. Blaine could still make him color like a 13 year old girl. "Now lose the skivvies and get in the Pacific."

Blaine bit his lip into a smirk before dropping his underwear completely. He shook his head as he ran towards the shore, of course after Kurt slapped his ass, and slowed down once his feet touched the water.

"That's fucking freezing."

"Watch out for sharks!"

Blaine laughed. "Fuck you!"

Kurt smirked, picking up his boyfriend's pajama pants and underwear. "I know you wanna!"

Blaine took a few steps back before running at full speed and jumping into the water. Kurt laughed and ran over, carrying a towel from his boyfriend's book bag. He shook his head and Blaine shot up from beneath the water, gasping for air. "I can't believe you did that! You're crazy."

Blaine glared at him; the sun peeking from just over the horizon. "Just give me the fucking towel."

…

Later that day, long after Kurt and Blaine and their white Boxer pup had gotten back to the beach house and recovered from the hypothermia they'd gotten from jumping in the ocean at close to 5 in the morning (well, Kurt didn't  _voluntarily_ jump in. Blaine physically dragged him in) while watching corny movies from the early 2000s and falling asleep on the couch, Kurt decided that he should go do a few hours with his father in the shop. It was around 11 in the morning when the two of them woke up and at some point; Justin had fallen asleep on the floor in front of them. It made Blaine think of that time he and Kurt fell asleep on the new boy's couch and Justin laid in front of the sofa, dead to the world. Back when he didn't know how much of an impact Kurt would have on his life but he was eager to spend every waking moment finding out. He smiled.

Blaine dropped Kurt off at his place and stuck around for a while as the teen got ready for work. They ate breakfast together and the boy brushed back his curly hair, surprised when Kurt let him get a bite of his Yoplait. He licked the spoon suggestively and smiled at Kurt's snort at the action. Earlier in the summer, Kurt thought that was hot. Now, he laughed. Blaine rolled his eyes with a grin he couldn't quite hold back.

They made out for a while before Kurt got onto his motorcycle and Blaine watched him put on his helmet before backing out of the driveway. He promised that he'd bring him and Burt lunch later on and Kurt promised that he'd get more kisses later on. Fair trade.

Before heading back home, Blaine went to bother his uncle at the shop. Mikey was there. He had just gotten his haircut; blond curls stuck to his head, and Blaine picked him up when he saw him.

"How's my soon to be birthday boy doing?"

Mikey smiled, hugging him tightly. "Great. What did you get me?"

Blaine said hello to the new employee; a girl he wasn't sure he'd seen before, which was rare around these parts. She smiled back at him. "I'm not telling you, punk. You'll find out tomorrow."

Mikey sighed. "You people are annoying."

The girl laughed, and Blaine turned to look at her as he put his cousin down. "He's so cute," she told him; voice light in the large shop.

Her eyes were the color of jade and she had tanned skin with long, dark hair. She wore a tight T-Shirt that had the logo of his uncle's sports store on it. Blaine looked around to see that she was the only employee out front and nodded, walking over.

"He's ok. I'm Blaine," he said, holding his hand out.

"I know who you are," the girl told him. "Everyone does. I'm Kayla. I just started working here with your uncle."

Blaine nodded and smiled a bit. "That's awesome. Well, I'll see you around Kayla."

She blushed and looked away, and Blaine tried not to laugh as he walked to the back of the store. He pushed the door open and there was his uncle typing away on the computer. Blaine stepped over Mikey playing with his action figures on the floor and sat next to Don.

"What's cookin' old man?"

Don looked up from his work and pushed his glasses up, smiling when he saw his nephew. "Where's your sidekick?"

Blaine was already texting him. "He's the hero and I'm the sidekick, thank you very much."

Don mock gagged.

"He's at work," he said afterwards. "And Cooper has rehearsal today so he drove to Hollywood. The guys are all at the beach house, probably still passed out, but I'm going to get them to help out with everything before we do any hanging out." Blaine put his best 'I'm behaving like a mature young man' smile on and Don nodded at everything he heard.

"I'm glad to hear it."

**To Kurt:**

**What is it about new employees who get hired at Odyssey? Why do they all think I'm hot? Irresistible?**

"So have you given any more thought to the competition? I need to sign you up. The sponsors are waiting."

Blaine tensed up at the conversation and shook his head no. "I'm leaning towards it, though," he lied. He knew he didn't want Kurt upset at him, but he didn't want to let down his fans or his uncle either. He just really didn't want to talk about it.

**From Kurt:**

**Are you giving some new girl… or guy… an orientation? Should I be jealous?**

"Good," Uncle Don told him.

Mikey clapped. "Good," he repeated.

Blaine looked at him before going back to his phone.

**To Kurt:**

**Never.**

…

"Can we go to Layla's?"

Blaine shrugged at his friend's question. "I ate already but I guess I can tag along. It'll have to be quick though. I told Donnie we weren't going to hang out until  _after_ we've set up for Mikey's birthday party."

"Can't we just send someone to go pick us up some food?" Jeff asked tiredly. He stretched out on the sofa; long legs falling over Blaine's lap, and yawned. "David go get us some breakfast from Layla's."

"Is it because I'm black? I don't remember my mama naming me Amistad."

"It's because you used to work there," Jeff told him, eyes drifting closed.

Blaine pressed down on the remote control buttons, trying to beat Nick in the car race. "Jeff is racist."

"I want Kurt," Justin said tiredly from the floor. He hadn't yet moved since getting back from the diner for his and Jeff's dessert run.

"We can go see him at work later. I can't promise that Burt won't kick us out as soon as he sees us but I do intend to show face."

"He loves us," David said. "So, how's senior year kiddos?"

Nick rolled his eyes as Blaine blatantly cheated at the video game. "I told my family about Jeff at dinner the other night. In public."

Justin sat up first. Blaine pressed pause on the game. David stopped scratching his back mid-scratch. Jeff nodded as his friends faced him first and then they all turned in almost unison to look at Nick, demanding the rest of the story without saying as much. Nick put the controller down and sighed.

"I don't think either of them were a fan of me saying I was with Jeff or telling them how we are moving to New York after graduation, and I couldn't really read their reaction about Brooklyn but," he trailed off and Blaine looked down. "I don't know. I don't really care either. This is the way it is."

"Good for you," Justin said. Nick didn't see the blond take his shirt off but it had somehow been removed in the past few seconds. "Where are you staying?"

"I'm still there but my mom hasn't said much to me. I really haven't seen her but once on my way to school yesterday. I just left."

Blaine shook his head. "You know you have us though. My family too, but I know they'll come around."

Jeff looked up at the ceiling. "At least his father isn't distancing himself from the twins or anything. That's what I was afraid of."

Nick smiled. "Nope. He's only distancing himself from me."

David stood up and stretched. "I hope you remember how you feel right now and make sure Brooklyn doesn't feel that way because of her dad ever. Let's talk about something else, though. I want you guys to be happy."

Jeff nodded. "I'm happy." He looked over at Nick and smiled, and Nick returned it.

"Me too."

Blaine put his controller down and rubbed at the nape of his neck. "High school is ok. Nothing new, really. But I've been getting into it with these idiots from JFK."

Justin and David perked up as Jeff finally got off the sofa, moving his feet from Blaine's lap. He went into the kitchen and got a reminder from Blaine not to touch the yogurt. "Which idiots are these?" David asked as he put his sneakers on.

Blaine ruffled his curls. "Tommy and some other guy. They just say really homophobic things and it's like, I want to retaliate but I'm in a position where I can't. I've got good things going for me right now. I don't want to throw it down the drain because they said something ignorant."

All of the boys turned to look at him now. Blaine looked around the room. "What?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Justin teased with a smile.

"He grew up," David said next, nodding his head proudly. "That's what's up."

Nick sighed. "I hope that's the case. Blaine was pretty short tempered on Main Street the other day."

"They did break my phone screen," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway I'm just trying to lay low is all. It's going to be a long school year so. Yeah. What's up with you two?"

Justin stood up so that he could get ready, deciding to do the food run with his best friend. "I'm heading back to Lima for a Homecoming to be Quinn's date." He grinned and Nick snorted, Jeff walking back into the room with a leftover slice of pepperoni pizza. "And I may get to meet Beth."'

"Dude, that's awesome!" Blaine said with a smile.

"Take pictures." Jeff's mouth was full but he managed to get the command out. "Pace has our first dance coming up too. Should be fun."

David yawned. "You guys should let me know when your recitals and shows and everything are so I can make them. My freshman year has been pretty chill so far. I'm only studying and meeting different people. Trying not to party and failing, but I don't want to miss what's going on at home with all of you."

The high schoolers nodded.

"Text us what you want and make sure you pay me back," David told them, following Justin out the door. Blaine stretched out on the sofa and dragged a hand tiredly down his face.

"Care to tell us why you were watching  _The_   _Hot Chick_ last night?"

Blaine scoffed at Nick's question. "Why were  _you_ guys watching a  _Pretty Little Liars_ marathon? Don't judge me."

Jeff laughed. "Kurt made him."

"Like  _you_ aren't whipped," Blaine said with a smirk. "Leave me alone. Go walk Diesel or something."

Nick bounced up with a smile. "I'll do it. C'mon babe."

Jeff groaned, biting the last of his crust. "Fine."

"See?" Blaine said with a laugh, not even bothering to move when Jeff threw a pillow at him. He was tired. A moment had passed and his friends made their way out of the door. He took a deep breath, listening to the dog's barks subside before reaching for his phone.

**From Kurt:**

**I miss you. :P**

**From Kurt:**

**Dad says when you come and bring lunch to get him the smoked chicken and avocado sandwich you got him last time. You never got me a smoked chicken and avocado sandwich. …**

**From Kurt:**

**You're playing favorites.**

**From Kurt:**

**I guess you can tell but it's pretty quiet at the shop right now. I'm going to assume you're asleep and leave you alone. Love you bae. xo**

Blaine smiled at the messages and typed out a response.

**To Kurt:**

**I was playing video games with Nick and didn't feel my phone vibrate :(. I'll get dad the sandwich and you one if you'd like? I love you. You're my favorite, baby boy.**

**From Kurt:**

**You're full of it.**

Blaine laughed, sitting up and wishing that he could call him. Part of him knew this wasn't healthy. Kurt should be able to go off and do things without constant contact and communication from his boyfriend, but it was difficult for Blaine to not think about his significant other every other second.

"I'm pathetic."

**To Kurt:**

**I miss you too for the record. A lot.**

**From Kurt:**

**So after we all decorate for Mikey's party, how about we go back to my place? I want you to stay at mine.**

**From Kurt:**

**Mikey can too.**

**To Kurt:**

**Hm. I don't know if I want to invite him. What's on the agenda?**

**From Kurt:**

**Lol**

**From Kurt:**

**Maybe we can invite him after our shower?**

Blaine bit his lip into a smile, typing a response.

**To Kurt:**

**Maybe we can.**

…

Blaine, Nick, Jeff, Justin, and David had begun the decoration for the next day's festivities. The theme was an Iron Man shindig, not that anyone was surprised. Mikey's first words were Iron Man. Mikey ate, slept, and breathed Iron Man. Iron Man was life.

The rumors turned out to be true because Justin and David had really gotten this huge bouncy house and Blaine was way too excited for that. He'd probably spend more time in it than his little cousin, or his little cousin's friends. There was no shame in Blaine's game.

He spent time blowing up the red and gold balloons with the machine they rented. He watched as Jeff and Justin worked on putting up a banner on the outside of the house near the pool. Nick's iPod was playing and a Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake song was going off. Shane and José wandered over to watch them work and Blaine didn't even bother saying anything to them, instead listening to Shane go on and on with David about the approaching competition. Nick took a call from Ashleigh as the rider stood up, taking the balloons inside. When he returned with various posters to hang up, he tapped José and gestured over to the home. "Can I borrow you for a minute?"

Shane and David glared at him; their faces full of suspicion. Even José looked almost as if he'd laugh. Why would he willingly go anywhere with Blaine Anderson? Not in his right mind.

Blaine sighed. "I wanted to talk to you for a moment but if you don't want to, just say no. It's as simple as that, lifeguard."

José looked at Shane and then shrugged, nodding to Blaine. "Alright. Fine."

"If you aren't back in 10 minutes, I'm calling the cops." Shane folded his arms and looked at his rival, smirking. Blaine rolled his eyes at him, David laughing.

They walked over to the back of the beach house and entered through the sliding doors. Blaine went into the living room as the Dominican teen admired the décor. "Sweet place you have here. I've never actually been inside. I'd always stayed outside when you used to throw those parties."

Blaine smiled at the memories of those parties. "Yeah." He put up one of the huge Iron Man posters and José helped him to tape them. "Those were the days."

"I think I like you a lot better now." He straightened a side and taped it down, Blaine listening to him. "Since Kurt came along. Even if we don't really like each other."

Blaine stepped back and looked at the Latino. "I like me better too. And it isn't that I don't like you, I just love him. Even back then."

José smiled and looked down, nodding his understanding.

"I have a question though, and that was my whole reason for asking you to come in here."

The 18 year old cleared his throat as he pulled at the hem of his t-shirt. "Shoot."

"Well," Blaine began. "I just want to know if you know a guy named Liam? William Myerson but he goes by Liam."

José hummed. "Liam? I think I'm familiar. I hung out with a Liam with Ian one night. Only for like an hour though."

Blaine carried the posters to another wall and put up a smaller one now, walking past a cardboard cutout of Iron Man that Jeff swore he saw move earlier. "Just, do yourself a favor and watch out for him. He's a shady guy."

José stood there, not sure what to make of what he was being told. Blaine looked back at him and held his hand out, expecting the tape. When he was handed it, he took to placing the poster again. "I don't want you to think I'm being weird or anything but… and maybe I shouldn't get involved in the first place because I would definitely tell Kurt to stay out of this, but—"

"Kurt knows about whatever this is about?" José questioned, now becoming suspicious. That would mean that the two of them talked about this before Blaine approached him about it, obviously. "What—"

"Relax," Blaine said as he turned around. "Liam works as a TA at our school. He mentioned Ian and Kurt was bothered by it. I thought that I'd mention it to you because Kurt really likes you for whatever reason and as a human being with a heart, I wouldn't want to see you hurt, either—especially by an asshole like Ian."

José looked up as Nick walked in with a few bags. He nodded to the boy who looked at the two with bemusement before moving on about his business. José sighed. "I know Ian is an asshole but he's my boyfriend. I don't know what Liam is going on about but I really do trust my boyfriend, as a good boyfriend should."

Blaine nodded. "That's fair."

"I mean thanks and all. I'll talk to him about it."

"Yeah." Blaine shrugged. "We're about to head to Kurt's dad's shop though. If you want to come by to my cousin's party tomorrow and get something to eat you're welcome to. There won't be liquor or anything…"

José laughed and said thanks. "I'll come by and bring something for the little guy. Thanks."

Blaine nodded and turned back to his work.

…

Burt couldn't help but shake his head as he leant against the wall and watched the scene as it unfolded before him. The teens of Legacy had stumbled into his Long Beach shop about forty five minutes ago, leaving Diesel tied up by reception. All of the customers and their kids had a nice time petting and playing with him as they waited to sign paper work. Blaine brought lunch for him and for Kurt, and Jeff did a good job helping Kurt eat his until Blaine chased him off.

The change of pace happened after Kurt went to finish up an oil change so that the group could get going. Burt did try his best not to laugh at how Blaine looked at his son as he worked in the navy blue jumper he wore, and while he did think about threatening him to keep things in order, he let him be. Kurt got him on his own.

Blaine and Nick each had oil smudged on their faces from Kurt and as his son ran around the shop, looking for a good hiding space while Nick and his curly haired boyfriend chased after him, Burt smiled up at Justin as he came to sit next to him.

"Don't worry. I'll kick ass if they touch Kurt."

"Good man," Burt said, patting his back. "So how's life been treating you Mr. Superstar? You were away for almost a month."

"I was in Seattle for a bit, and upstate. I actually qualified for International competition."

Burt nodded to him. "That's amazing Justin. When does that start?"

"Not until early next year, so I have time."

Nick rolled his eyes as Blaine forgave Kurt after a kiss. They watched Jeff walk over from where he was with David and an employee of Burt's, learning about different parts of the SUV they stood over. Jeff wrapped his arms around Nick and Burt cleared his throat.

"You two definitely have some explaining to do."

Nick and Jeff turned around and the blond smiled, dropping his skateboard and rolling over. Justin smirked at the look on his face as he took a sip of his water. "What is it that you want explained, bestie?"

"When did you two take your heads out of your asses?"

Blaine laughed as he followed behind them, Kurt wiping his hands on a rag as he joined the conversation. "It took them a while."

Nick smiled. "I was resisting at first but we got it together. Did you ever ship us?"

Burt raised an eyebrow. "Ship you where?"

Blaine smiled at Kurt's snort behind him. "Oh!" the rider began. "I never told you guys about Mikey, did I?"

David walked over and leant against the wall, Diesel in his arms. "What's up with Mikey?"

"The other night after you kicked me out," Blaine said looking at a shrugging Burt. "I went to get my uncle to drop me off at home. Mikey was still awake and he told me he asked our friend Dani to be his date to his birthday party so that he could make someone jealous."

The guys nodded.

"So I'm asking him to tell me her name, and he tells me it's a boy named Neil."

They all looked around the circle at each other. Kurt's eyes were wide. "Mikey wanted to make a 'Neil' jealous?"

Blaine nodded and Burt looked at the two of them. "I wanted to say something but I think I'd rather see how the two of them are tomorrow because I don't want him just… I don't know."

"He's turning 5 on Monday," Burt began. "I think at his age, and with him being so bright, he's very heavily influenced by his surroundings."

David nodded as Blaine replied. "I was thinking that. I don't want to put a label on a kid either, anyway."

"He doesn't need one," Burt said. "Let him be little Mikey. He looks up to you like mad, Blaine, and he admires what you and Kurt have. You also have to remember he's around you older guys a lot but you don't want him to grow up too fast. The last thing he should be worried about is making a guy or girl jealous."

Nick smirked. "The men in Blaine's family start out very young." The guys laughed and Blaine shrugged as his best friend continued. "If I remember the story correctly, Blaine definitely tried to kidnap your son and take him back to California when he was like 7 years old."

Kurt smiled at the way Blaine pushed Nick away before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw one of the guy's in his dad's shop and smiled. Derrick was transferred from the Los Angeles shop a couple weeks ago and he was super down to earth. They spent down time in the shop hanging together and running their mouths.

Derrick smiled at him and gestured over to the SUV he'd been working on. He only had on a grey tank top and his tattooed arms were on display, and the black uniformed pants he worked in that were in much better condition than jumper he brought with him from the LA shop. "I know you're about to leave but can you give me a hand?"

"Sure," Kurt said with a smile. He looked at his friends and then his dad and said he'd be right back. Blaine looked up and watched the two of them walk away as they shared small talk.

"So are you going to come to my dance recital, bestie?" Jeff asked, talking to Burt. Blaine tuned out of the chatter and watched his boyfriend across the busy shop. Kurt looked at the guy next to him, listening attentively, and then they started laughing at something before looking underneath the hood.

Burt laughed at something David said before he noticed Blaine glaring at his employee. "Calm down, tiger."

Blaine ignored him, simply watching. He thought about walking over there but instead turned to face his friends.

"I want to go surfing when we're done," Justin thought aloud.

"I want to go to Applebees," David said afterwards.

"What about the drive-in theater?" Jeff asked, winking at Nick.

Blaine looked away from them and back over at Kurt. Burt got up, saying something as he went into his office—Diesel following him—and he stood up straight and walked a little closer.

"So you two are pretty serious then?" Derrick asked, pushing long dark hair from in front of his eyes. Kurt nodded and smiled as he worked around beneath the hood, replacing the battery.

"Serious is the word, yes."

Derrick looked up and saw Kurt's boyfriend staring at him. He bit his lip and moved closer. "Sucks for me I guess."

Kurt rolled his eyes playfully. "I guess so. But yeah, I fixed it. I'm sure you could've done that yourself…" he glanced up with blue eyes and smiled at Derrick. "But there you go."

He nodded and looked underneath the hood. "Thank you, Kurt. So when are you going to come back? It's too quiet around the shop without you here really."

Kurt leant against the SUV and shrugged. "I'm usually really busy but if ever my dad needs me—"

"Hey baby." Blaine smiled at him; one hand on the small of his back. "I'm sorry to interrupt but we've gotta get going."

Kurt smiled and turned to him. "Sorry! We're all done here—"

"Derrick," the boy said, holding his hand out. Blaine nodded at him and took it.

"Blaine Anderson."

Derrick smiled. "Kurt's boyfriend. I've heard a lot about you."

"I haven't heard anything about you," Blaine said. "Are you new?"

Kurt watched their hands locked in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

"I've been here for less than a month." Derrick let go and Blaine didn't miss the way the taller teen sized him up. "I like it here a lot."

Kurt linked his hand with Blaine's and started to pull him away. "C'mon honey. Bye Derrick!"

Blaine glared at him for another moment before nodding and taking a few steps back. "Goodbye Derrick."

Derrick smiled and nodded, going back to his work.

Kurt waved at the boys of Legacy who gestured outside. He nodded and said he'd be right there after changing out of his coveralls. Blaine felt Kurt let go of his hand and watched him gesture to the locker room. "I'll be out in like 5 minutes. I don't know what's gotten into you but stay out of trouble."

Blaine ran his hands through his curls and looked around. "I'm going to Dad's office, ok?"

Kurt nodded, pulling him close and kissing him. He deepened it until Blaine sighed and relaxed, and let go of the boy's t-shirt as he stepped back. Blaine's eyes were closed but he opened them and Kurt smiled.

"I'll meet you in there."

Blaine licked his lips and nodded. "Alright, love."

Nick and co. got into the Hummer and started to blast  _Partition_  by Beyoncé. Kurt smirked at them before he disappeared into the locker room for his things, and Blaine turned around. He stared at Derrick who pretended to be going through a few tools and watched him for another few seconds before walking into Burt's office.

…

Mikey's 5th birthday wasn't until Monday, September 5th, but they were having his birthday party that Sunday. Blaine lay in Kurt's bed, staring up at his ceiling as he listened to his boyfriend in the shower, singing along to  _Rude_ by Magic! He smiled at the voice and checked the time, knowing that he should get up and get ready, but there was something about Sundays that made him impossibly lazy.

Kurt's radio turned off and after a minute or so, he walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. He smiled at Blaine when he saw the teen was awake and walked over; towel around his damp waist.

"Good morning, handsome. Can I make you something to eat?"

Blaine couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep last night before wiping the now dried cum off of his abdomen and thighs. He sat up a little and looked at Kurt, smiling. "We can go out if you want."

"I want to stay in." Kurt walked over to the dresser and Blaine licked his lips at the sight of him.

"Then yeah. Why didn't you wake me up to shower with you?"

Kurt smiled. "I did but you refused to budge. Sorry. I was going to give you the best Happy Three Month Anniversary shower oral sex you'd ever had."

Blaine stood up, stretching now. He was completely naked and Kurt smirked as he looked at him in the mirror. "Your dad here?"

"Running errands."

"So let's exchange gifts," Blaine said, moving forward and dropping his boyfriend's towel. Kurt laughed and nudged him away.

"Go shower and then come down and eat. If you're lucky I'll let you eat me in the kitchen."

Blaine smiled, biting his lip. "If  _you're_ lucky, I'll eat you in the kitchen."

Kurt kissed his cheek. "Oh, I'm lucky alright."

…

Cooper stood next to his little brother as they all got ready to sing Happy Birthday to Mikey. He could tell what he'd been thinking pretty much all afternoon, because he'd been thinking the same. Ariel's birthday was close to Mikey's and they were really missing her. Cooper wrapped an arm around his little brother's shoulders and smiled.

"You okay?"

Blaine nodded at him. "I'm good, CJ. I'm good."

"OK everyone!" Aunt Pam gathered the kids and parents around inside the beach house, smiling as Don held his little boy up over his shoulders. Burt smiled as he settled between Blaine's mother Clarissa and his girlfriend Amber, waving back at Mikey who'd found him in the crowd. "We're going to sing Happy Birthday to Michael and cut the cake. Who's ready for cake?"

The kindergartners went crazy and so did Jeff, jumping up and down in excitement. David held the camera on them and smiled, trying to get Mikey's attention. Kurt was with Blaze, Dani, and Hunter, and some random 5 year old who decided that because Mikey always spoke so highly of Kurt that she'd attach herself to his hip. Blaine smiled at them before looking back at his little cousin.

As Cooper held hands with Justin's older sister, the room began to belt out the lyrics. Mikey smiled as he held onto Don's curly hair, still sat on top of his dad's shoulders.

 **Happy Birthday to You**  
Happy Birthday to You  
Happy Birthday Dear Michael  
Happy Birthday to You

Everyone clapped loudly and his friends started running around like the kindergarten maniacs they were, shouting for cake, of course until they heard one person had continued singing.

"From good friends and true,  
From old friends and new,  
May good luck go with you,  
And happiness too—oh are we not singing the entire song?" Hunter turned and looked around at everyone. Kurt tried not to laugh and failed, dropping his head. "My bad. Carry on."

"Who even knows the entire song?" Justin asked.

"Cake time!" Don shouted, pulling Mikey down and kissing his cheek. Blaine shook his head and walked over to try and get some order. After all, this was his house, and there were psychotic children being psychos near his Blu-Ray collection. He felt arms wrap around his waist and then smiled, turning around and seeing Kurt.

"You ok, baby?"

Blaine nodded. "I'm great. Hey, can I give you your anniversary gift now before one of these delinquents steals it from me? I already caught that Neil kid going through my backpack earlier. Why Mikey had to be into the bad boy type I don't know."

Kurt laughed and nodded. "But you still have to wait for yours. It's linked in with Mikey's gift."

Blaine raised an eyebrow as he pulled something from his pocket. "Ok. Well I hope you'll like this. We were talking about your mom and everything recently so I think you will." He opened the small blue box and smiled as he showed Kurt the charm. "It's for your bracelet. The letter E for Elizabeth. I was going to get a beetle charm that would make you think of the song she sang you but I couldn't find a good one."

Kurt was hugging him again and Blaine smiled, wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you, Blaine. It's perfect. And I know she'd love you."

Blaine lowered his hands to Kurt's waist. "Let's go get some Iron Man cake baby."

…

There was Karaoke. It was the worst idea Donald Kinsella ever had if you'd ask Blaine, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Currently, they were outside by the pool. The guy in the Iron Man suit they hired to show up and play with the kids had a microphone in hand, on stage along with  _Justin,_ Cooper, Hunter, and three of Mikey's friends, all singing  _She Looks So Perfect._ Kurt was dancing with a very pregnant Clarissa and Blaine was laughing, swimming across the pool and getting out. He happened to walk past David who'd been trying literally all party long to put the moves on Dani. It seemed that he was getting somewhere at last.

"So we both have the same last name," she said with a smile. "That's crazy. And you're not yanking my chain right? This isn't some lame attempt by you to break the ice?"

David put his hands in the pockets of his swim trunks as he looked at her. Random people walking along the beach tried to approach the party but Shane and Justin would spray them with water guns. "My name is actually David Thompson. I would not lie to you about that."

She hummed, not knowing if she believed him. "And mine is Danielle Thompson. Interesting."

David nodded. "It is. That means when we're married, you don't have to worry about changing your last name."

She laughed, orange soda squirting out her mouth. David bit his lip and laughed as well. "Ew."

"Sorry." She shook her head and looked around. "That was embarrassing. Lucky for you, I like a guy that can make me laugh. But," she stopped and pointed at Mikey who was playing tag around the pool with a few of his friends before jumping in. "I'm here on a date with a really cute kid."

David rolled his eyes and looked down at his feet. "I can't be mad at that. Can I at least have your number? So that we can be friends, maybe. UCLA gets lonely."

Dani smiled and looked around the party. The guys on stage ended their song and Kurt dragged his dad to the stage now, the two of them about to duet to  _Danger Zone._  Blaine put his electric guitar on after hooking it up to the amp, and Iron Man fist pumped. "I don't see anything wrong with being friends, David Thompson. If that's even your real name."

"I'd show you my ID but it's inside in my wallet and I have that 'year 2000' Kobe Bryant afro going on."

The girl snorted again and David smiled. Kurt and Burt got really into their song and she took his hand.

"I'm sure Mikey wouldn't mind if we danced. If you impress me, I'll give you my number. I may even answer when you call."

David laughed now, walking with her over to where some of the kids were jamming out. "You've got a deal, Dani Thompson."

…

After a very spoiled Michael Kinsella got his gifts, they blew up the bouncy house. Blaine was too emotional to charge at it first. Blaze comforted him as he got his breathing together, and he hugged the older teen back. Kurt shook his head at them.

The thing was, Kurt had gotten Blaine and Mikey TICKETS TO THE LAKERS VERSUS THE CELTICS AT THE STAPLES CENTER ON OPENING NIGHT! It served as the kid's birthday gift and Blaine's anniversary gift, and both the curly haired boys squeezed the everloving life out of Kurt when they were given the tickets.

Mikey also got some super cool sneakers from Nick and Jeff, Iron Man comic books from Mr. Burt Hummey, a PlayStation 4 game from his Aunt Clarissa, awesome action figures and racecars from the friends in his class, a few books from his teacher, one of those kid ATVs from Blaine and Cooper that got both of the Anderson boys a look from their aunt Pam that pretty much said  _We're Going to Talk About This,_ and tons of other awesome gifts from the partygoers. Whatever Neil got him was in a card, so Blaine and Burt couldn't really assess the damage. But before Mikey could go into the bouncy house with his friends and of course, Blaine, Don and Pam said that they had an announcement.

"We waited until the party today to tell Mikey this," Don began, smiling at his wife. Justin walked up behind Kurt and threw an arm over his shoulder; both of them slick from the pool. Mikey was in Blaine's arms and he looked at his parents curiously. Both Pam and Don spoke in unison.

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER!"

The mouths at the party dropped. Blaine smiled widely, looking at his little cousin. Mikey's face changed with all the excitement bottled inside from this extremely overwhelming day and tears started to fall down his face as he smiled, burying his entire head in Blaine's neck.

"Awww," Jeff said as the party applauded; parents going to say congratulations to the beautiful couple. "Mikey! You're going to be a big bro, man!"

Blaine laughed as he rubbed the boy's back. He knew they were happy tears but he still wanted to make sure his cousin was alright. "C'mon, Mikey. Let's go hug mom and dad, yeah?"

Mikey nodded, pulling his face up and wiping the dampness away. Don held his arms out and the boy jumped into them, squeezing his father tight. He then hugged his mother and she wiped his wet face as a million questions flew from his mouth.

" _Is it a boy baby or a girl baby?"_

" _How did you make it?"_

" _When will it be here?"_

" _Will it kick? Can I see?"_

" _What will it eat? Do I have to share my Lucky Charms?"_

" _I'm so happy we can play games together!"_

"Congratulations," Kurt said, squeezing the both of them. Don laughed into the hug and Pam looked at him seriously.

"You are the little Kinsella whisperer, so I hope you know that you will be babysitting come February."

Kurt laughed, nodding his head.

…

At some point in the afternoon, José and Blaine ended up getting attacked by a class full of Kindergarteners inside the bouncy house. Kurt and David considered helping before walking away. They sat at the table with Dani and Hunter and pretended not to see Nick and Jeff making out on the hammock, talking about whatever came up.

Justin laughed at something that must've been seriously funny as Cooper continued to talk, his arm around Jasmine. She pushed him away and Kurt smiled, grateful that the elder Anderson found someone who made him happy.

"So are you going to the dance?" Hunter asked Kurt. "Or is Blaine not into that stuff?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know if I'm really into it. I mean, we'll do prom at the end of the year of course but dances, I don't know."

"It'll be fun," Dani said. "The events that Pace throws are always really cool. You won't regret it."

Kurt hummed as he thought about it. "I guess."

"Do you need a date?" David asked Dani. Kurt smiled at the two of them and then looked away. His eyes found Blaine who was now outside of the bouncy house, being chased by Mikey and a bunch of his—as Blaine called them—demonic friends. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Blaine was having a lot of fun with them and Kurt knew for sure that he'd be the best dad one day.

Little Zayn Luke Harry Calum Niall Sheeran Anderson-Hummel or Anderson-Levine would be a very lucky kid.

The group continued to talk as Kurt looked around. He smiled at Clarissa who had now found her way into Cooper's conversation, shaking her head at whatever her son said as Justin baby talked her belly. She had a little girl on the way that Blaine had already named, and Kurt was excited for the family. They were so thrilled to meet Melody Anderson.

He was taken away from his thoughts when he saw a man that he knew he should recognize approaching the beach house. He was coming from the direction of the city and had a large box in hand, clearly a present for Mikey, Kurt thought. He squinted, trying to see him better, to remember who he was and why he felt so uncomfortable by his presence when it clicked.

"Shit."

"Ooo!" the girl, Claire said when she heard the curse. Kurt had a hard time ditching the 5 year old but now, he stood up straight and walked off. Hunter tapped her shoulder and looked her in the eye.

"Don't repeat that or I will personally murder Rainbow Dash myself. You hear me?"

Claire nodded. Dani and David stared at him.

"Blaine!" Kurt ran over to him, trying to dodge the children who were so busy climbing on top of the rider and trying to make him fall. Blaine laughed as he did his best to crawl away.

"What's up, babe?"

"It's Victor."

Blaine tensed at the name. He stood up quickly and Mikey fell off of him, laughing as he tumbled onto Neil. Diesel barked, jumping into the pile of kids. "What?"

Kurt was pale in the face as he pointed to the man approaching. "Victor, Blaine. Should I tell your mom?"

"Stay here." Blaine turned and started walking towards him and Kurt sighed, grabbing his arm.

"Blaine,  _please_ don't make a scene in front of the children. Let's just tell your mom—"

Blaine pulled away and walked towards Victor. The man smirked when he saw Blaine coming and Kurt shook his head, running back to alert his father and Blaine's mother, Don and Pam too, about what was going on.

"Blaine. I thought for sure you'd come to your senses by now. He's still around—"

"Vic, get the fuck away from our home—"

"I just wanted to give little Mikey a gift—" Victor held the box up and looked down when Blaine slapped it from his hands. Justin walked up behind him; eyes a darkened blue.

"Fuck you and your gift. Leave, Victor."

Victor smiled as he looked down at the gift on the ground. "I need to talk to your mother."

"If he has to tell you to leave again, I can escort you," Justin said clearly, walking in front of his friend. "Now do we have a problem?"

Cooper walked over and Victor could see the anger behind his eyes as he approached. He smiled and picked up the gift.

"Boys, listen—"

"You've got some nerve showing up here after the hell you put my family through." Cooper pushed Blaine aside and moved in close so that he and Victor were face to face; his blue eyes meeting the brown of the Italian's. "Don't be any more of a dummy than you already are, Vic. Leave now."

Kurt walked up with Clarissa, Don, and Burt. Pam, the other parents, and Hunter were ushering the kids back into the party so that they'd be distracted. Dani stood with David and Jose, watching to make sure everything was ok.

"Clarissa." Victor smiled when he saw her and how far along she was, making to move past Cooper but being pushed back when he attempted to. He almost fell into the sand and Burt stood there glaring at him; Kurt by his side. Victor shook his head and held the box in front of him. "I wanted to give this to Mikey for his birthday and to talk to you," he said.

Clarissa shook her head no. "You said everything you needed to say. About my son and his boyfriend and my family."

Burt glared at Victor and the man realized that must've been Blaine's boyfriend's father. He looked back at Blaine and licked his lips. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are."

"Seriously." Victor shook his head at Blaine's darkened face and sighed. "Alright. Whether all of you acknowledge it or not, I'm the father to that child," he announced, pointing at Clarissa. "And if you want to keep me from being a father, then I guess I can take you to court and do this the hard way."

Burt and Don turned to look at Clarissa. "I'll see you there. Now you're more than welcome to enjoy the beach but I don't want you anywhere near my property."

Justin stepped forward so that he was side by side with Cooper and Victor nodded, taking a few steps back. "Fine." He left the gift there in the sand and turned around, doing up the top button of his plaid shirt as he walked off. Kurt relaxed tenfold, looking over at Blaine who hadn't moved much at all. Burt shook his head at the man and turned around.

"Come on, everyone. Let's not give him the satisfaction of ruining Mikey's day."

Don nodded, taking his sister's hand. "Stress is the last thing you need, Clarissa. Let's go."

They all turned away and walked back over to the beach house. Kurt stood there with Blaine whose fists were still clutched, and he put his hand on the teen's back. "Blaine?"

Blaine closed his eyes. The voice and touch helped him to calm down. He shook his head a bit, taking deep breaths. "Yeah, baby. I'm fine."

Kurt wrapped his arms around him. "Do you want to go upstairs? Or maybe we can go for a walk until you calm down a little?"

Blaine turned around and wrapped himself up in Kurt. "I'm sorry. Let's go upstairs."

Kurt nodded, kissing him softly. "Alright." He looked up and saw Victor turn back and glance with a smirk before continuing to walk away. He rubbed along his boyfriend's back soothingly, despite that. "Alright."


	5. Fubar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the update. Things are getting interesting. Comment and let me know what you think!

The month of September went much too slowly, at least in Blaine's opinion. There was nothing but school and more school, and on the few days they had off over the weekends or for observation of Jewish holidays, the guys were pretty much focused on school related tasks. It seemed like even when they were finished with their homework assignments or projects, they were discussing something that centered on Pace High School. Kurt of course knew all of the gossip, so he always had something to talk about, and because Jeff had gotten a chance to assist their dance teacher on the days that Liam had classes he had to attend at UCLA, he was always going over choreography when the guys hung out. Nick would also be rehearsing for something in one class or another, and even though Blaine was used to it from them because they'd been in Pace for a years, he didn't want himself or his boyfriend to become  _that._ Blaine loved the idea of having a life outside of school. However, his friends and Kurt seemed to be in love with the idea of Pace High School of the Performing Arts.

All that truly mattered was the hazel eyed teen was passing his exams. He wouldn't have to worry about his mother or his uncle or even Kurt's father coming down on him for his grades, and it would be a nice change to the last five years of his life. More than that, he didn't have to worry about Kurt threatening him if he didn't do well during the marking period. Kurt was probably scarier than Clarissa, Donnie, and Burt, if not combined then  _definitely_ individually, and though Blaine may've skipped a day or two so far this school year to get extra sleep or go to the baby doctor with his mom, it was good knowing that he'd handed in all homework assignments and did fantastic on all of his tests.

A good thing about the month of September was it seemed that those idiots that Blaine had been getting into it with lately had been M.I.A. Maybe it was because Blaine himself hadn't been out as much. He went on the beach once with Mikey and Diesel to hang out while Kurt was at work. Which brought up the topic about  _another_ thing that kind of sucked about September, Kurt worked at his father's shop a  _lot_. At least it was the one in Long Beach and not the one located in Los Angeles, but  _still_. If Kurt was going to work this much then he should've just stayed with Uncle Don, right? But Blaine guessed that he understood. Kurt wanted to save up money to help out with their living arrangements in New York. He didn't want to have Blaine being the sole provider, even if he was a lot wealthier. Burt was proud of his son and wanted to give him the chance to earn cash when he had free time, as long as it didn't distract him from his studies. The thing about that was, Blaine wasn't too fond of Kurt working there often. There was that Derrick kid who was recently hired by Burt and to be completely straight up, Blaine couldn't stand him. Whenever Blaine showed up, Derrick would wear that stupid sneaky smile of his; his tattooed arms on display like he thought he was the coolest, bad ass guy around. And sometimes when Blaine was  _finally_ alone with Kurt, Derrick would be brought up in conversation. The last thing he wanted to talk about when he was alone with Kurt was how awesome Derrick was at doing paint jobs and decal work, or the funny things Derrick said that day. Blaine literally didn't give a fuck.

With the stress September brought and the stress that October was definitely threatening to bring, Blaine thought it was about time to do something fun again. His friends were so distracted by Pace and whatever else was going on that they weren't stopping to enjoy the fact that they were 17 year olds living in Southern California. There had to be something fantastic they could do  _besides_ going to music class.

The plan all started when Blaine vented to Zach in their Italian class. He told the red head that he wanted to do something fun and let off some steam. When Zach recommended spicing it up in the bedroom, Blaine insisted that he and Kurt were fine in that department. They were more than fine, actually. So Zach offered another solution.

" _Have you ever heard of Fubar in West Hollywood?"_

_Blaine shook his head no as their teacher politely asked the class to quiet down. "What's that?"_

" _It's an amazing gay bar. Great music, great environment, great fun. You and your boy would love it." Zach closed his notebook and looked at Blaine with a sly smile. "Kurt will probably have to make sure the guys stay away from you and vice versa, but it's a really fun night club."_

" _A gay bar?" Blaine smiled. "That really isn't my scene, man. And how the hell would we get in? We look like the teenagers we definitely are, and I don't feel like getting into it with any bouncers."_

_Zach waved him off. "Give me 50 bucks and I can make the both of you fake IDs easy. Look at mine." He pulled out his wallet and showed Blaine the picture ID. It said that he was from Minnesota and 25, and that his name was "Robert Prince". Blaine shook his head and started to pack his things away._

" _Do they fall for that, honestly?"_

" _I doubt they care, Blaine. Listen, on Saturday nights they have five dollar booze and these cute guys giving strip tease dances. I know you won't be into that but there's a lounge and you can chill out there, shoot some pool, drink a little, hell, fuck a little. It isn't like that isn't what's going on there anyway."_

_Blaine rubbed his chin. "How much would it be if I wanted you to make 4 fake IDs? I think I can convince Nick and Jeff to make this a double date."_

_Zach smiled. "Do the four of you ever…?"_

_Blaine lifted an eyebrow at the partial question. "Ever what?"_

" _Mess around," Zach finished with a laugh. Blaine rolled his eyes this time._

" _Kurt and I are not that type of couple. I'm not knocking swingers at all but we only want each other. I just thought it would be cool to invite my friends because they've been so fucking unbearable lately. A little fun could go a long way."_

" _Ok, ok." Zach got up with the rest of the class as the bell rang, and Blaine stood up too, fixing his beanie low over his curls. "I'll do 75 bucks for the four of you. Just send me some …_ mature …  _looking pictures of you all and I'll have them done by Friday. Cool?"_

_Blaine nodded. "Stop by the skate park after band rehearsal and I'll give you the cash."_

" _Woah. Are you competing again?"_

_Blaine looked around the halls to see if his boyfriend was around before he shrugged. "I've been considering it but as of now, it's a maybe. I've been sneaking in some practice as a just in case."_

_Zach smiled. "Cool, dude. I have to stop by my locker so I'll see you at lunch."_

_He and Blaine slapped high-fives before going in their separate directions._

It didn't take too much convincing on anyone other than Nick who swore that the four of them would be stopped by the bouncers because of their ridiculous, idiotic, no-way-in-hell-the-security-would-actually-take-this-serious Hawaii IDs, but eventually the drama student went along with the plan because Jeff, Kurt, and Blaine threatened to go to Fubar without him.

Only the bouncer wasn't as intimidating as either boy had imagined him to be in their heads. He even said that he knew their IDs were fakes because Kurt didn't look like a Tyquan Walters and Jeff didn't look like an Elyakim Bernovits, but as long as they didn't get wasted there wouldn't be a problem. The cops would care a lot more, because that was  _oh so_ illegal and they'd be in deep shit. Blaine took out twenty bucks and paid for him and his boyfriend; the two of them entering after Nick and Jeff. Once inside the club, the couples stared at the scene.

"This is  _exactly_ what I expected from a gay bar," Kurt told his boyfriend; a smile covering his lips. "This is sexy."

The music was loud as guys crowded the dance floor. There was grinding, there was making out, there were shirtless dudes wearing only bowties and tight pants, bulges were evident. Jeff raised his eyebrows as he saw body shots being performed a few feet in front of him. "Well then."

Nick looked at Kurt and smiled. "I'm not leaving here a virgin, am I?"

"You're not a virgin," Kurt said, taking Blaine's hand. "And if any guy pushes up on you, come find me. Santana taught me some awesome self-defense after that whole bullying thing. I'm going to buy this hottie a drink or two. Don't get into trouble, boys."

Jeff smiled as Blaine was dragged by his boyfriend into the crowd. He turned to Nick and kissed his cheek. "So can I buy you a drink or do you want to dance with me?"

Nick licked his lips. "Will you take your shirt off like these guys?"

"Would you want me too?"

Nick smiled. "Let's go dance."

…

Blaine had his hands on Kurt's hips as the two danced close to the stage. Kurt was kissing his neck as he moved Blaine's hands lower, down to his ass, and grinded forward. The DJ put on another fast track and amped up the crowd as guys shouted, throwing their hands in the air.

"We should probably go down the block to that hotel in case we can't drive home tonight," Kurt whispered. Blaine bit his lip as they grinded together, not really paying attention to the rest of the guys around them. "I can let my dad know I'm with you guys and he won't mind."

"Ok," Blaine told him; his hands squeezing Kurt's ass cheeks. His boyfriend smiled and then lifted his head to look him in the eyes.

"I love this song."

Blaine nodded, allowing Kurt to turn around and press his ass right against his embarrassingly hard cock. They'd been dancing all of ten minutes and already Blaine was ready to go at it for a round or two. Someone walked over as Kurt worked his hips and Blaine looked at him, trying not to laugh when he realized it was a shirtless Jeff with two more drinks.

"These two are for you. I promised I didn't slip anything into them. They're safe."

Kurt smiled and accepted it. "Thank you, Jeffy."

"Anything for you, Ohio."

Blaine quickly downed the contents in the glass and nodded thanks. It was fruity and smooth. Jeff winked at him.

"There's a second level upstairs. Like a lounge. The bartender loves us. And there are couches and pool tables and guys stripping on poles! Come on!"

Kurt bit his lip into a smile as he turned to face his boyfriend. "It is a bit crowded down here…"

Blaine nodded. "I agree. Let's go."

After pushing through the crowd, the boys made their way up to the second floor. Nick was lying back on the couch, probably already tipsy, nodding his head to the loud techno music playing. Blaine smiled at him until he saw Kurt pulling off the dark V-neck shirt he wore and handing it to Jeff. Kurt took another drink from his glass and walked over to the balcony, dancing as he watched the party below.

"Let me see you work it, boys," the DJ shouted. She was dancing herself with a couple boys in nothing but speedos. Jeff walked over to Kurt and took his hand.

"May I have this dance, Ohio?"

Kurt turned to him with a smile, letting Jeff walk him over to where a few guys grinded together on the second level's rainbow dance floor.

Blaine looked down at the party again. He didn't know if this was really his type of gig, but he couldn't deny he was having a lot of fun. Nick walked over to him a minute later and smiled.

"I've been here for half an hour and already 3 guys offered to blow me in the bathroom."

Blaine smirked. "Kurt and I had this at least 30 year old ask if he could take us home. His home. I can tell he's a millionaire, probably with a wife at that."

Nick shook his head. "How many dudes in here do you think are actually straight?"

Blaine looked around the club and shook his head at Jeff twerking on Kurt. He focused on a few quiet guys at the bar and shrugged. "I'd probably say at least 20%. I don't know, though. Maybe it isn't that they're straight, but just pretending to be. You know Kurt told me Karofsky went to gay clubs a lot. It was an outlet of sorts for him."

"I guess I can understand that. Just a little crazy."

"Would either of you boys like a lap dance?"

Blaine turned around and smiled at the guy behind him. "We're good," he said with a laugh when the pink haired man started to dance on him. "Thanks though."

Nick laughed and shook his head no as well. "Thank you."

"Suit yourself." He jumped over the bannister onto a pole and slid down to the first floor, a few guys cheering him on. Nick smiled and shook his head, gesturing over to their boyfriends.

"I'm going to go intervene before Kurt gets Jeff pregnant. I've got enough baby drama."

Blaine glanced at the pair dancing and shook his head. "Yeah that needs to stop."

Kurt laughed a few seconds later when he was picked up and thrown over Blaine's shoulder. The bartender wolf whistled and Blaine smirked, tossing his boyfriend down on the leather sofa maybe a few feet away from a trio of dudes who were heavily making out. He licked his lips after his tipsy boyfriend laughed and pulled off his tank top, dropping it by Kurt's side.

"Am I getting a dance?" Kurt questioned, sitting up a bit straighter and smiling when Blaine nodded. "And most importantly, are you going to take your pants off?"

Blaine undid his belt and jumped into Kurt's lap, grinding like something he'd seen Channing Tatum do in that movie with the dudes that Aunt Pam watched more times than Uncle Don deemed necessary. He and Kurt laughed as he continued, but then he kissed the boy slowly on the lips and began to lower his jeans.

"If I can make you cum by giving you a lap dance alone, then you buy me another drink," Blaine told him. The rider stood up and lowered his pants, stepping out of them and his sneakers. Nick said "oh my god" from behind him as his best friend was left in only tight purple boxer briefs and the jewelry around his neck.

Kurt bit his lip as he looked away from Blaine's tattoo and down his body. He then licked them as he nodded. "Deal. Definitely a deal."

"Good." Blaine sat back down on his boyfriend's lap and started to work his hips. He could feel Kurt was already turned on and smiled, running his hands over the boy's chest and biting on his earlobe. Kurt moaned, thrusting up and running his hands along Blaine's bare thighs. "Damn, baby."

Jeff and the bartender had convinced Nick to take body shots off of him. It was funny because when Nick first met Jeff when they were kids, he never thought he'd be here a few years later, licking liquor off his chest while palming his cock. Yet, here he was, minutes away from dragging the blond into a corner and screwing his lights out. Please say he didn't forget to slide another condom into his wallet. Well, it wasn't like there wasn't a shit load of condoms in supply here somewhere.

"Blaine," Kurt moaned, watching his boyfriend work his ass slowly on top of him. "I hate you so much."

Blaine licked his lips; his thumbs brushing over Kurt's nipples. "If you take that back, I'll let you cum in my mouth instead of in your pants…"

Kurt exhaled and his eyes rolled back when he thrust up. "Fine. I take it back. I love you like… damn, a lot. Mm," Kurt thrust up again and his legs shook.

Needless to say, he was buying Blaine a drink a few minutes later. He was also pushing Blaine against a dark wall in the corner and sucking him off like he'd never done before. Blaine really believed he had the best ideas ever.

Ok. Maybe it was Zach's idea. But him wanting to do something fun was his idea, and this needed to be  _at least_ a once a month thing. "Oh my god, Kurt," he whined, the blue eyed teen looking up at him as he moved his tongue around the tip of his boyfriend's dick. "Shit, that feels so good."

It took all four boys at least an hour to relax on the sofa after their  _fun._ They wanted to calm down and not drink anything more or the night could easily end badly. Instead, Jeff ordered food and paid for it, something sober-Jeff probably wouldn't agree to. They ate chicken strips and fries and listened to the music, trying their best to take it easy.

It was a little after midnight when Nick got up first. Blaine followed him over to the pool table. They started a game as Kurt came over to watch, and Jeff went to the bartender for a few bottles of water.

"Have you ever played, Kurt?" Nick asked. "We could do teams. You and Blaine against Jeff and myself."

Kurt nodded. "My dad plays really well and he taught me when I was like 14 or so. Puck and Finn used me to hustle some guys back in Lima and we almost got our asses beat. But," he leant against the pool table and watched Blaine pick up the cue stick, "I wouldn't say I'd be all that great tonight. A little inebriated, plus, it's been a couple years."

"Well you should play just so I can watch you bend over," Blaine said with a wink. Jeff rolled his eyes.

"How are you not single? You're so corny."

Nick and Kurt laughed as Blaine gave him the finger. "Let's do it, boys. Two on two."

Kurt shrugged. "I'm down."

Nick nodded. "Me too." They looked at Jeff and he smiled.

"I'm in."

The couples played and it turned out Kurt was definitely the better out of the four. They all were pretty good, though. A couple times, a few guys came over to flirt with any and all of the four, and one time Kurt smirked as one particularly forward young man ran his fingers through Blaine's curls. He only walked away after Blaine said he takes it up the ass from Kurt and Kurt only, and since that moment not many guys came to disturb the group.

But, that didn't mean things ran smoothly from there.

After Kurt and Blaine won the first game, they began another. Nick took his shot and then handed the cue stick to Blaine when a couple guys ran over. Kurt found them attractive—one was tanned and tall and muscular, the other was a bit short but had a brilliant smile and bright, brown eyes. They smiled as they stopped at the pool table, eager to introduce themselves.

"My name is Edward and this is my boyfriend Ricky. We are  _huge_ fans of Legacy."

The short one, Ricky, nodded his agreement. "That's an understatement. Jeff, I had a crush on you forever. You have the cutest butt."

Nick raised an eyebrow and looked at Kurt who was smiling.

"Thanks," Jeff said with a wink. "I wish we had something we could sign for you but I wasn't expecting to see any Legacy fans out tonight. I usually drive around with posters or something."

Blaine took his shot and sunk a striped ball. "Thank you guys for supporting us, though. We tend not to participate in events during the school year and what not but—"

"Before you even finish that sentence," Edward perked up as he spoke, "I freakin' love you Blaine Anderson. You coming out and saying fuck what everyone thinks is fantastic. So many people are afraid to be out and proud."

Blaine smiled at them. "Well I love Kurt more than myself so there wasn't much to think about. He's my world."

"Is that Kurt?" Ricky asked with a smile, staring at the blue eyed teen. Kurt waved.

"That's me. Hi fellas."

"You are so fucking hot."

Kurt laughed along with his friends. "Thank you. And I think it's easy to figure out why I love Blaine as much as I do. He's amazing."

"He's beautiful," Jeff said, wrapping his arm around Blaine's shoulders.

"You're all amazing." Edward watched as Blaine missed his next shot. "I think you two should totally do a photo shoot together so the world sees you two. It's important for us."

"He's going to be my date to the BMXPress magazine dinner so—"

"For Donald Kinsella!" Edward said excitedly.

Blaine nodded. "Yes, exactly. So there'll be a ton of press from that. But all those close to me know about Kurt. I'd never keep him a secret."

Kurt smiled. "I love you honey."

"You all are making me a little nauseous," Nick said with a smile. His friends laughed.

"Wait a minute…" Ricky looked at his boyfriend and then back to Nick and Jeff. "You two are in a gay club. Is it because you're just hanging out with Blaine and Kurt or…"

"We're totally banging," Jeff said, smirking at his boyfriend.

"Oh my god! Wait, are Justin and David together too?"

"Probably," Blaine said, making Kurt laugh.

"That's insane! I love you guys so much."

"But we abandoned our friends downstairs so," Edward began with a sigh. "We're going to go. I just read on the Ride BMX website that you're in the Recon Tour competition this November Blaine, and I can't wait to watch on TV. Best of luck. There are some serious killers this year."

Kurt looked over at his boyfriend and Blaine gave the two fans an odd look. "You read that I was in the competition? On Ride BMX?"

Edward nodded and looked at Ricky as he spoke now. "Well, we read that you signed up for preliminaries so you're pretty much in."

Nick noticed Kurt tense up next to him and closed his eyes. This wasn't going to end well.

"Yeah," Blaine said with a smile. "Oh. Ok well, thanks guys. And we adore you for the support."

"For sure," Edward smiled. "If you guys ever come back, I'm going to keep bringing my posters for you to sign."

"We can get a picture together if you'd like," Blaine told them, though he felt incredible sick inside. He knew that must've meant his uncle signed him up for the competitions. Blaine hadn't given Don a clear 'yes' or 'no' on whether or not he would compete. He needed to so that he could keep his sponsors and keep making money, but Kurt didn't want him to because right now, their focus was school and doing well so that Blaine could get into a decent college. He was pretty much going to have to let down someone he cared about, not to mention himself no matter what he chose. But it seemed that Don made the choice for him.

Kurt took Edward's cell phone as he told them he'd take the picture for the group. Nick and Jeff were on one end, Edward and Ricky in the middle, and then Blaine. He told the group to smile and then captured a couple photos for them.

"Thank you guys so much. Best of luck with school and competitions and everything!"

"Thanks guys," Jeff told them, waving goodbye. He then looked at Kurt who hadn't looked at Blaine pretty much since he heard what was going on. "Wow."

"Fuck," Blaine rubbed at his temple. "I need a drink."

"Were you going to tell me that you entered the competition?" Kurt asked him. The boy went over to the couch and picked up his shirt, putting it back on. Blaine watched him and looked at Nick who only gestured over to the bar. Jeff swiftly followed.

"I didn't know that I entered the competition. If I knew that I was going to, I would've let you know first."

Kurt shook his head. "How could you not know?"

"My uncle obviously did it. He's the one managing my career right now and like I told you before, he said I needed to enter a competition soon if I wanted to keep all of my endorsements."

Kurt ignored him and put the cue stick down.

"I know how important Pace is to you Kurt, and I've been trying—"

"I think that's the biggest problem, here. Pace is important to only me in this relationship. It should mean something to you too, Blaine. Unless you're going to be riding BMX for the rest of your life, you should want something like an education to fall back on."

"What's wrong with wanting to compete for the rest of my life?" Blaine asked. "If I wanted to, I could definitely make a career out of it. I'm that good."

"I never said you weren't."

"But you're acting like I should drop something I love doing because I have to focus on school. I've been doing great last I checked, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head and looked out over the club. He was doing so great because he had one thing to pay attention to. Now, who knew what would happen? The point of this was to prove all the people like Chandler wrong. He didn't want Blaine to be a has-been by 25 like his ex-boyfriend so confidently stated, or to be like Eric Milton, looking back on what was—the glory days—while he had absolutely nothing challenging to do. "It's your decision. You proved it has nothing to do with me."

Blaine stared at him for a while before walking away. Nick watched his friend approach them at the bar and rub a hand down his face.

"Can I have a beer?"

"No," Jeff said. "Don't give it to him."

The bartender nodded. "Sorry, kid."

Blaine rolled his eyes and sat down.

"What's wrong, man? And why didn't you say you were going to do the competition?"

"Because I hadn't exactly decided," Blaine told Nick. "Donnie must've signed me up because I did imply that I was leaning towards doing it. I just didn't know how to get Kurt to agree with it. Now he's mad because I'm interested in doing both BMX and Pace which is fucking ridiculous."

"Let me go talk to him," Jeff recommended. Blaine shook his head.

"Doesn't even matter. He's stubborn and he's only going to see this his way."

Nick rubbed at his neck. "You guys want to get out of here? At least go for a walk. It's nice out tonight. We can like, stroll Hollywood Boulevard or something."

Blaine looked over at Kurt who playing pool by himself. He shrugged. "Whatever. Doesn't matter to me."

…

It was weird seeing the lack of PDA that Kurt and Blaine were putting on as the pair strolled down Hollywood Blvd. late that night. There was usually at the very least hand holding, but often one boy would have their arm around the other, and they'd laugh or stop to kiss as they talked. Tonight, there wasn't anything but the two of them walking side by side and saying absolutely nothing.

Nick shook his head as he walked a few feet behind them with Jeff. He looked at his boyfriend who was typing away on his cell phone, sending a message to Justin.

"I hate when my friends are fighting."

Jeff nodded and put his phone away, pulling Nick a little closer to him. "They're going to work it out. That is literally an argument that a five minute conversation can fix. They just have to get their heads out of their asses."

Nick agreed. "It's hard when two stubborn people are in a relationship together."

"That's why we're pretty good," Jeff told him. "You're stubborn as fuck and I'm pretty loose. Those two, they're both strong willed and they both suck when it comes to talking about things that they do not want to talk about." Jeff shrugged. "There's no way they're ever breaking up though. If so, I'm laughing at Blaine for that tattoo for fucking ever."

Nick snorted and shoved his boyfriend.

As they walked past a movie theater, Blaine looked up at the shows that were playing. He felt Kurt slow down a bit and turned back to look at him, watching as his boyfriend looked at his phone. Kurt accepted the call and held it to his ear.

"Hey, dad."

Blaine glanced back at his friends laughing and joking behind them before listening to the rest of Kurt's conversation.

"Yes, we had fun. I think I'm going to stay at Blaine's tonight." He looked down at his boots and rubbed over his forearm. "Ok. If that changes, I'll give you a call. Love you."

A guy and his girlfriend squeezed in between the couple as they walked by. Blaine turned his snapback cap backwards on his head and put his hands in his pockets as Kurt said goodbye. Nick and Jeff were in the front now, walking slowly, and Kurt ended the call without glancing in Blaine's direction.

Blaine felt like shit. All he wanted to do was go out and have a good time, but things were so much more worse now than it was before. One thing that was certain was he didn't want this to be an argument for days like their first one was. "Kurt."

His boyfriend slowed down and looked at him. Blaine caught up and moved a little closer.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was thinking about competing."

Kurt shrugged and continued to walk. "You don't have to tell me anything. It's yours and your uncle's decision."

"Even if I didn't have to tell you, you're my partner in all of this. I love you and I'm sorry that you were out of the loop."

Kurt nodded. "I love you too."

Blaine crossed the street after his friends. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to compete."

The taller teen smiled. "Of course it doesn't, baby. I'm going to continue to support you like a good boyfriend should."

They were quiet, and Blaine knew even though Kurt had told him that he was fine with everything that he wasn't. Jeff motioned over to the wax museum and smiled at his friends.

"Want to sneak in?"

"No." Kurt and Nick said in unison. Jeff pouted.

Blaine cleared his throat. "How about we just walk back to the car and go home?"

"I thought we were doing a hotel room," Nick responded.

He looked at Kurt. "My boyfriend is mad at me for something I didn't even do so I don't feel like being around people right now."

"I'm not mad at you," Kurt told him, though he still wouldn't give eye contact. "I told you it's whatever."

Jeff nodded. "Ohio sounds mad to me."

"Well I'm not."

"If we're driving back to Long Beach tonight, we should take another hour off somewhere before getting behind the wheel. Just to be safe." Nick looked around to see what they could do but a lot of places were closed. "Nothing fun is open, really. We could just keep walking around I guess."

"Or, we could sneak into a place." Jeff seemed adamant but Kurt wanted no part of that. Sneaking into the skate park was one thing, but he wasn't into breaking and entering. Blaine fixed the cap on his head.

"There's a movie theater back there. It's either that or staying in a hotel because I don't want to aimlessly walk another second."

Kurt looked back at the theater to see what was playing as Nick hummed. "Or we could go watch a movie at the hotel. But we should call ahead of time to see if the one we parked near has any rooms available."

Jeff pulled out his cell phone. "I'm on it."

"Cool."

Blaine walked over to the wax museum building and leant against it. He took his own phone out to contact his mom who moved back into the beach house a week ago—she'd be going into labor in a few weeks and her sons  _demanded_ she get her ass back to Long Beach— just to let her know they'd be back in tomorrow. He also had to include in this text message that Clarissa should in no way convey to Burt Hummel that Kurt and Blaine weren't at the beach house; because he was sure Kurt neglected to mention to his father that he was at going to be in West Hollywood getting his party on at a gay bar. Hopefully his mother wouldn't get all 'parenty' and do the right thing. He promised they were safe, so they'd see what happens. Besides, Blaine told his mom that they were driving to LA for some music festival that didn't exist, so it wasn't like he'd get Most Honest Son award either.

Kurt walked over to him and leant by his side; his hand on his boyfriend's waist. Blaine looked over at him for a moment.

"I promise I'm not mad."

Blaine nodded, sliding his phone away. "Yeah. Just know that I know you better than you know yourself and you can't hide how you really feel from me."

Kurt dropped his hands and nodded. "I understand that. But I'm not mad."

"Even if I do decide to compete? I don't think I'm going to drop out now that my uncle put me up."

Kurt shook his head. "Like I said, I support you Blaine. That's my job."

Blaine took his hand and though Kurt was reluctant, he allowed himself to be pulled into his boyfriend. "Listen, baby. Are you listening?"

Kurt nodded. "I am."

Blaine pulled him even closer in. "I can't help but feel like you're being sarcastic about supporting me because you're upset."

"I'm not being sarcastic. You'd know if I was being sarcastic, Blaine."

"Then what's with the " _it's my job to support you_ " attitude? I just want to talk about this and you're making me feel like shit."

Kurt shook his head but remained quiet.

"I want to be fair. I acknowledge that you really want to succeed at Pace and get to New York and attend NYADA. I love that about you. You set your mind to something and you're doing it, despite how people may've tried to discourage you over the years."

Kurt listened.

"But my thing is, I've been doing  _this_ for years, Kurt. Before you came along, I was working hard to be a pro at this and I think I did amazing. You did help me to remember that I love music and because of my dad, I would really like to pursue a career in that somewhere. I don't get how that means I have to stop everything else I love to do too because of that."

"I'm not saying you do."

"Yes you are. It's either your way or the highway right now."

"That is  _not_ true," Kurt said with a chuckle. "I'm… no matter what I say right now you're not going to believe me."

"So then I'm going to compete."

"I know," Kurt told him. "And I'm going to support you."

Blaine nodded, letting him go. "Fine, baby."

"I think you're the one who's mad."

"The only reason I'm mad is because I didn't say anything to begin with and now I look like a jerk. Then Donnie just entered me without letting me know. It makes me look like a dick."

"It doesn't," Kurt rolled his neck and took a deep breath. "If you start fucking up in school then I reserve the right to be upset because right now you're doing great. We even have our appointment set up with our guidance counselor in a couple weeks."

Jeff gave his friends a thumb up to let them know they were good for the hotel. Blaine nodded and looked at his boyfriend. "I'm going to try my best. That's all I can do."

"Yeah."

Blaine stood up straight and smoothed out his shirt. "I'm going to get in the shower as soon as we get to the hotel and then I'm going right to sleep. Naked."

Jeff hung up the phone. "That may not work out too well for you because we're actually sharing their only available room."

Blaine sighed. "Fuck. I don't want to share a room with Nick and Jeff. They fucking suck."

Nick smiled. "You need to learn how to whisper."

Kurt laughed and grabbed Blaine. "Come on before the hotel locks us out."

…

The guys quickly walked back to where their night started. By the time they were back at Fubar, it was well after 1 in the morning but it sounded like the party was just getting started. Blaine shook his head no when his friends tried to convince him to go back inside. First of all, he wasn't spending  _any more_ cash for the night. He tended to suck with his money when they went out on the weekends, which is why he figured that the group always did absolutely nothing, and besides that he didn't think he could take another random man grinding against his ass while he waited at the bar. Also, alcohol made him sleepy and the bed was calling his name.

Though he wasn't happy that the only room available was a standard double bed room with the beds only separated by a night stand with a lamp on top, Blaine was just grateful to be near a bed. He called first dibs on the shower as Nick turned on the TV and looked for something to watch.

"Am I welcome to join you so we can save water and time?" Kurt asked him. Jeff smiled and nodded.

"Us too?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at the blond and looked at Kurt as he removed his shirt. "Sure. I want to talk some more anyway."

Kurt went over to the closet and grabbed a couple towels. "About?"

Blaine took off his watch and then his chain and laid it next to his hat. He grabbed Kurt around the waist and pulled him over to the bathroom down the hall. His boyfriend rolled his eyes and opened the door, flicking the light on and closing it after Blaine walked inside.

"About everything," the curly haired boy finally answered.

Kurt nodded as he looked at the shampoos and body washes lining the shelves. "We can talk. I guess I need to start bringing my night-care washes and creams everywhere with me since we spontaneously spend nights in hotel rooms."

Blaine undressed the rest of the way and then started to adjust the water in the shower. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Also that lap dance was incredibly hot tonight."

"Kurt."

He smiled, undoing his belt and then dropping his jeans. "Blaine."

"I need you to be honest with me, ok?" He stepped into the shower and dipped his head under the water. Kurt sighed and walked over to him after removing his ring and bracelet. "This is really important to me."

"I've been honest." He stepped into the shower, nudging his boyfriend out of the way. "I said I'm not mad and I mean that. You're right. You're Mr. BMX and I shouldn't be upset with you for doing something that not only you love to do, but you get great rewards from. And I know your fans adore you."

Blaine took some body wash and started to lather it over his chest as he listened. Kurt watched him. "And I adore you too, Blaine."

"I wouldn't fault you for being upset though."

"I'm not."

"You were at first."

"I guess because I didn't know," Kurt told him. He turned around and faced the water. "I didn't even know you were thinking about it and then I was blindsided. And it isn't your fault, I know, but I had this vision of how the school year would go, and it was you supporting me like I had done for you over the summer. I don't know why I thought that way but… it's stupid."

Blaine wrapped his arms around his boyfriend from behind as Kurt took the body wash. "I know why."

"Why?"

Blaine kissed his shoulder. "Do you remember when we went to New York for Nationals with your friends, and you were talking to Chauffeur? And he was talking all this shit about how I'd be no one by 25?"

Kurt rolled his eyes as an act, knowing that was exactly why. But he didn't want Blaine to know that. "Baby I thought we were past the 'Things Chandler Says' phase."

"But I'm pretty sure the things Chafing said and the things Rachel said to you as well still resonated, because I remember them telling you at some point that I'd be the star and you'd be standing on the sidelines watching. And it's because they know as well as I know that you, Kurt Hummel, are  _so_ much better than that."

Kurt was quiet. He started to shower and Blaine began to help, getting his back for him.

"But, I don't see why it is I can't both support you and do what I need to as well. And I know that in the beginning of the school year I thought that getting good grades and doing my BMX tours would be impossible, but what I need from you is to tell me that it's not. Just continue to support me, even if you can't physically make my competitions—even if it's in spirit it would mean the world to me. Because I know for a fact that you know if this were you with anything, I would back you 100%. I always will."

Kurt nodded. "You're right."

"Am I right or are you just saying that so I'll shut up?"

His boyfriend laughed a little before turning around to face him. They smiled before Kurt kissed the boy on the cheek. "You're right. I didn't think about it but maybe something Chandler or the others said was triggered. I don't think it was but maybe subconsciously… I don't know." It was only a white lie. He didn't want Blaine to know that anything Chandler or Rachel said to him was lingering in his mind. "What I do know is I just want you to do well at Pace too. I could understand if you wanted to pursue BMX professionally, I would be there for you and I hope you know that. But if you're in this school, you know you should take it seriously. A lot of serious kids applied for it and—"

"I am serious."

"Alright," Kurt told him. "Then just remember how many priorities you have. And don't complain when we're not able to see each other as much because ultimately that's what it's going to be. Just school. Just competitions."

Blaine shrugged. "I doubt that."

"Uh huh."

Blaine looked at him. "I just don't want us to be mad at each other. And I don't want this to be the reason I lose you."

Kurt smiled. "Then what would you like to be the reason you lose me?"

"Nothing if you put it that way. I mean I don't want to lose you," Blaine clarified. "At all. Especially not because I have other obligations outside of our schooling. I signed contracts. I have responsibilities."

Kurt kissed him. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Blaine closed his eyes at the feeling of Kurt's lips on his. He placed his hands on his boyfriend's hips and moaned when Kurt deepened it, but then cursed when the taller teen pulled away with a smile.

"We have to save hot water for Nick and Jeff."

Blaine sighed but nodded. "Alright."

They washed and then dried off and got into their underwear before walking back into the room. Nick lay with his head in Jeff's lap as he stared at the TV, deep into a movie that was playing. Jeff seemed to be in a serious game on his cell phone when his friends walked in. "Wow. That was only like 10 minutes. I thought for sure we'd hear some moaning for sure."

Blaine plopped down on the bed, combing through his curly hair. "Kurt and I have never been in a hotel room without having amazing; mind blowing, toe curling, and scream inducing sex. But we're sharing this room with you two and I don't know if I could have sex with anyone else in here. It'd be weird."

Kurt smiled as he went to lay down behind his boyfriend. "I could totally get off on the thought of someone listening."

Nick looked up with a smirk. "Kinky bastard."

"We're sharing a room with an exhibitionist," Jeff said. "Looks like there's no need to waste money on porn. And I was just complaining about how we never watch porn together anymore. Not since the soft core incident."

Blaine stared at the movie, trying to remember what it was. He realized it was that Liam Neeson was in it and then made the connections with the animals that it was  _The Grey._ "Cooper told me this movie had a shitty ending."

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Nick asked.

Blaine lay back and looked at his best friend. "I will when you turn this off."

Kurt rolled over and got beneath the sheets. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight Ohio," Jeff and Nick said in unison. Nick then got up and gave the remote to his friend. "I'm going to shower."

"I'm coming." Jeff got up and skipped to the bathroom. "Oh, tell them about New York!"

Blaine raised an eyebrow as he scrolled through the channels. "What about New York?"

"In a couple weekend we're going to NYC to meet Brooklyn," Nick told him. "Justin is tagging along too. I was wondering if you wanted to come. Kurt too if he isn't dead to the world."

Kurt turned his head and smiled at the brunette. "That sounds awesome. I'm happy for you, Nick."

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

"Well I really need to start practicing and everything so I doubt my uncle will let me. But get lots of pictures with her and spam my phone," Blaine told him seriously. "And punch Ashleigh's boyfriend in the face. He's such a dick."

"Don't do that," Kurt said.

Nick smiled. "I won't. And ok boys, sleep well if you're both asleep before we get out of the shower. I'm not promising to be quick in there." He pulled off his shirt and tossed on the bed as he walked off, and Blaine went back to channel surfing. Kurt rolled back over and sighed into his pillow.

"I'm happy for him."

Blaine nodded. "Me too."

Kurt closed his eyes. "So there is absolutely no chance of the two of us doing anything?"

Blaine bit his lip into a smile as he shook his head, an action his boyfriend couldn't see. "That wouldn't be weird for you? We're usually so intimate, you know. I mean with other people in the past I wouldn't have cared but… I don't know."

Kurt turned to look at him. "We gave each other head in a gay bar a couple hours ago. You weren't saying any of this when your cock was down my throat."

Blaine laughed. "Well first, I was drunk. Two, it was different. I don't care if random people would've caught us but Nick and Jeff would  _never_ shut up about it if we started doing it in the bed next to them."

Kurt nodded. "I doubt they'd care at all, but I get it. Sorry for asking. I guess it is pretty weird."

Blaine licked his lips and looked up at his boyfriend, crawling up the bed afterwards. "I can't tell if it's the liquor talking or if you are really this kinky…"

Kurt laughed. "I guess you have a lot to discover about Kurt Hummel." He pulled the blanket over him as the AC picked up. "I'm going to sleep now. My dad may need me for a few hours."

Blaine rolled his eyes at that. "Will Derrick be there?"

"Really?" his boyfriend asked. "You're always complaining when I mention the boy's name but you bring him up more than I do."

"That's barely true."

Kurt smiled and closed his eyes. "Goodnight."

"Pollux."

Kurt laughed. "Castor…"

"I love you."

"And I love you a million times more," Kurt said, turning to look at him. "Now shut up and let me go to sleep."

"I love you a million times more than that."

"Fine," Kurt said with a yawn.

Blaine heard the water finally start in the shower and he smiled as he got beneath the covers. He moved close to Kurt and smiled when the boy laughed at how Blaine started to kiss his neck. "Don't start something you won't finish, Anderson."

Blaine kissed him on the shoulder and closed his eyes too. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Castor."

….

The next day Kurt did go to help out at his father's shop. He parked his motorcycle in the garage and stepped off, taking off Blaine's ATV helmet and fluffing his hair as best he could. His father was talking with a customer and Kurt said hello to all of the staff before heading back towards the locker room.

He changed into the black coveralls with his name embroidered on the left side of his chest's pocket. His white tank top underneath clung to his abdomen muscles and he smiled to himself remembering the look Blaine always gives him whenever he 'shows up' to watch Kurt work or to 'help out'. Today, Blaine would be busy practicing for Preliminaries since he hadn't competed in the last tournament and would need to work his way up the ranks all over again. Kurt would probably end up at the skate park after work watching him, cheering him on. Just like old times.

Kurt walked out of the room and Derrick caught his eye. He waved hello to the teen who wore a white undershirt and dark slacks; his colorful arms flexing as he moved a tire from one end of the shop to a 4x4. When he saw Kurt, he winked, and Kurt tried his hardest not to roll his eyes as he smiled. He knew that the boy was straight, and that he knew Kurt was happily involved, but that never stopped him from being a flirt.

"Well if it isn't my pride and joy," Burt Hummel said as he walked away from reception, a stack of paperwork in his hands. "How was your little get together last night?"

Kurt smiled as his dad wrapped an arm around him. "It was a riot. If you have a minute over a lunch break if you get one, we'll chat."

"Oh boy." Burt smiled as he looked down at his boy, pulling on the brim of his cap. "What did he do?"

Derrick perked up in the corner.

"Nothing," Kurt laughed a little as he said it. "We had a disagreement about something initially but we're fine. I was a bit of an idiot about it, I think," he turned to walk and his dad followed, "because if Blaine hadn't come to me to make peace, I probably wouldn't be talking to him right now."

"You're stubborn like your mother."

"Don't pin it on mom." Kurt smiled. "I am sure I have her looks and your personality. To the bone, dad."

Burt scoffed and dropped the paperwork on the staff table to take into the office later. He looked at his son. "I'm going to be working on this BMW today. Give me a hand with it and I'll listen, ok?"

Kurt nodded. "Sure thing. First, how was the date last night? And did you tell Blaze that I miss him?"

Burt smiled. "The date was fantastic. I really like her, you know. And Richard says if you really miss him, you'd call him more."

Kurt smiled. "That could go both ways. But I'm happy you're happy, dad."

They set up at the BMW and Kurt nodded. It was a pretty sexy car. He couldn't wait to be a Broadway star because he already knew what he was going to drive and where he'd live and everything. "I am happy. Now about you and my favorite knuckle head: what's up?"

Kurt handed his father a tool and watched him begin. "We had this thing when the school year started that he'd be dedicated and focused on school and music because you know how he was in his old school… his grades were a joke and he'd barely go to classes. He only started to do well when his mother told him he wouldn't be able to compete over the summer."

Burt hummed, nodding as he listened.

"So that happened, and I guess I acknowledged that he was doing all of this for me. It felt good that he was working hard and doing so amazing because he wanted to support my dream of being in Pace and going on to NYC and all. Just like I'd been by his side this summer."

"Ok," Burt said, waiting for the bad part.

"But now, Donnie entered him in this competition for November and with it being October, I know Blaine will spend all of his time getting ready for it. He's going to want first place so that his endorsers throw even more goodies at him, and his name gets put out there even more, which is  _great,_ dad. I want him to do his absolute best. But the thing is—"

"He'll lose focus in school."

Kurt took out the damaged headlight as his father did work on the engine. "Exactly. And once he loses focus in school, he could risk getting kicked out. He said he wanted to work in producing music for artists after college but I'm not as convinced as he is that both being a pro BMX athlete and giving this other dream of his as much focus is possible. In my mind, it's only one or the other. And I know Blaine, dad. I love him so much. All I can see is him slacking off at Pace and having to go back to JFK High where a lot of guys dislike him for whatever reason… I guess mostly  _me_ if not because he's getting a bit of fame, and then he's there and he's reacting on impulse trying to defend himself and has squandered away both of his dreams."

Burt reached for his rag and cleaned his hands before grabbing another tool. Kurt shook his head as he got down on his knees, looking at the wiring. "I will admit, like I admitted to him yesterday, that I was a little selfish in wanting him to do what  _I_ wanted this year… to feel like we were equals and I wasn't just his fanboy. But at the same time, I do have legitimate concerns."

"I understand where you're coming from," Burt told him. He stopped and turned to his son. "I don't fault you for your feelings. You're entitled to them, at least at first after the shock hits, right? But, here's the thing about relationships," his father continued. "And I'm sure you may've learned this by now, because you two are very serious about one another and that's very special. The thing about relationships is there are two different people who ultimately want the same thing, and that's to be happy and successful with one another. But this joint happiness is difficult, because the things that make you happy may not bring him as much happiness, and vice versa. You may have a plan for you two and maybe you've established it in your mind, but he may not see things the exact same way and a little tear in that foundation can cause strife. Now, what do you do?"

Kurt took in all that his father said as he looked up at him. He thought about the answer to that for a moment. "I guess what I've been doing the whole time."

"And what's that?"

Kurt stood up. "Sticking with him. Giving him the support and letting him know regardless of what he chooses, I'm here."

Burt hummed. "Even if he chooses BMX? If he has to go on tours and you don't see him as often as you're accustomed to?"

Kurt sighed. "Even if that."

"So even if he does get kicked out of Pace because he couldn't dedicate himself there, you won't give up on him is what you're saying?"

Kurt noticed Derrick was eavesdropping a bit, pretending to sweep around their area. He ignored him and looked at his dad. "I will be really upset with him. Pissed, to be honest. But it's his choice, not mine, and me saying that I love Blaine isn't conditional. Regardless of what happens, I'm his."

Burt smiled at him. "Good for you. I think I raised you right, kiddo."

Kurt rubbed at the nape of his neck. "You did. I just hope that if I ever do get my turn, he'll be there for me as well."

Burt handed his son the next tool and Kurt went to work, unscrewing and unhinging to relieve some stress. He knew how to get Kurt to calm down. "Well what do you think Blaine would do?"

Kurt shrugged. "I think he'd be there for me as well. Actually, I know he would. But somewhere in my mind is that lingering fear that he's so much more important than I am and his obligations will remove me as a priority. I mean, he's Mr. BMX. I don't even know how I compete."

Burt looked at his son. "You knew who he was when you told him you'd be his boyfriend. It isn't sunshine and rainbows. Either you make the decision to trust him or you make the decision not to."

"Actually," Kurt began, "he got a lot more famous after he and I got together. Sure he was winning competitions but all of his commercial success with Adidas and those billboards with Colony didn't come until after he and I had been together."

Burt nodded. "Fair game. So maybe you can find someone who isn't as awesome as Blaine is and who has no goals or aspirations that would be perfect for you instead."

Kurt laughed at his father's words and shook his head as he got his hands dirty. "Yeah, ok dad. I forgot you were his number one fan."

Burt smiled.

"But, there's no one else for me. He's it."

"Then trust him. Stop being afraid when he's done nothing wrong. When he screws up, then you hold him accountable, Kurt. Even then, give him the opportunity to right his wrongs because that's what people in love do, right?"

Kurt nodded.

"You just gotta trust him, kiddo." Burt watched his son remove the engine. "This needs a new battery too. And a body job, but we'll let Derrick work on that."

Kurt looked over at Derrick and smiled when he saw the usual bad boy talking to a little girl by reception. He turned to his father and gave a half smile. "Thanks for the talk, old man."

"Thanks for coming to me." Burt observed the side of the car and then turned to his son. "I know a lot of kids don't really trust their parents enough to talk with 'em but I'm glad we have each other."

Kurt smiled at him and nodded. "I'm elated that we have each other."

…

"Are you ever going to tell me what Neil gave you for your birthday?" Blaine asked his little cousin as he carried him up the steps of the Kinsella residence. Mikey blushed but shook his head no.

"I'm too shy."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Come on. I tell you so much about the gifts Kurt gives me."

"Not all of them," Mikey said.

"Well not all of them are appropriate, but the appropriate ones you know all about." Blaine rang the doorbell and looked at his little cousin. "Can I put you down now?"

Mikey shook his head no. "I enjoy being as tall as you. David says I won't be as tall as you until my 8th birthday and that's like…  _many years_ from now."

Blaine smirked. "David is a butt face. So come on, tell me what Neil got you. Or let me read it if you're too shy."

Mikey considered it as Aunt Pam came to the door. She smiled at her son and her nephew and moved aside so they could enter. "Hello, my handsome young men. How was school today?"

Mikey kissed her hard on the cheek and she laughed as the blond instructed Blaine that it was ok to put him down now. Blaine smiled, dropping him and then kissing his aunt as well.

"School was great but that's because it was Friday. School is always fantastic on Fridays."

"Yep!" Mikey said. "We got to watch a movie in the auditordium."

He still had problems pronouncing that word, regardless of how many times Kurt went over it with him. Pam locked the door and looked at Blaine.

"You're staying for dinner, right? As a matter of fact, that isn't a question."

Blaine smiled. "Well excuse me. I guess I am then."

"How's mom?" She walked to the living room and took Mikey's shoes and book bag off. He usually tended to come in, see the television, and nothing else mattered.

"She's doing really well. I'm kind of afraid that I'll be competing when she goes into labor, even though she's not due until the end of November and my competitions are relatively early. I guess it doesn't mean anything though because when my sister is ready to come, she'll come."

Pam smiled at that. "True that. Well, can you maybe just do the next one?"

Blaine frowned. "I would in a heartbeat but I've already been getting publicity and my sponsors are like posting it on their websites. What if I bust my as—butt at Preliminaries and they feel dumb?"

"Well you won't be busting anything because you're an incredible rider, Blaine."

Mikey turned around on the couch and agreed. "Incredible."

Blaine smiled, standing up straight. "What time does Donnie get in tonight? I haven't cornered him  _in person_  yet about signing me up without letting me know, yet. Kurt didn't appreciate a bunch of Legacy fans knowing before him."

Pam shook her head at that. "Boy."

"It wasn't  _my_ fault, auntie."

"Uh huh," she said, heading towards the kitchen. "He should be in before dinner time. Keep Mikey entertained for me. His little brother or sister is on my bladder and I'm going crazy."

Blaine laughed and nodded at her before walking over to Mikey and picking him up again. "Dude, let's go upstairs and you can show me what Neil gave you."

Mikey scoffed dramatically and made his cousin laugh. "Fine. But, I," he pointed at his chest and his hazel eyes turned cold with his seriousness on the matter, "better get something out of this."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Name your price."

Mikey rubbed his chin. "Where's Kurtie?"

"He's at rehearsal for the dance recital he's in." Blaine said. "What does Kurt have to do with this?"

"Well," Mikey smiled but before he could resume, Blaine shook his head no.

"You're not kissing my boyfriend."

Mikey rubbed his chin again. "What about you buy me one of those  _huge_ boxes of Lucky Charms? Like mama buys at BJs when we go shopping on Sundays."

Blaine thought for a moment. He  _hated_ shopping at BJs. It was eternally crowded. "Fine. You've got yourself a deal."

Mikey hopped down out of his arms and smiled, running towards the stairs. "I'll race you!"

Blaine smirked. "Cheater." He chased after him and tickled the boy as they went up the steps.

Eventually, after five minutes of wrestling in the hallway and getting a warning from Aunt Pam about putting a hole in the wall, Blaine let his little cousin win the race to his bedroom. Blaine crawled after him and when Mikey laughed, Blaine lay out on the carpet and took deep breaths.

"Woo. You're a firecracker, you know that? I'm  _exhausted._ "

Mikey smiled. "I miss you living here. We had so much fun. And I gots to see Kurt lots and lots."

Blaine smiled sadly at the little boy as he got up. "Well maybe I'll smuggle you into my book bag and sneak you into the beach house. If you're quiet, my mom won't even know you're living with us."

Mikey thought about it for a while. "But then my mommy and daddy will miss me." Blaine sat on the racecar bed. "Maybe I'll just ask if we can have more sleepovers."

Blaine high-fived him. "Maybe we can start this weekend."

"Yes!" Mikey cheered.

"Then it's set."

The blond boy undid his blue and red striped tie before going through his drawers. "Remember. A  _huge_ box of lucky charms."

"I'm a man of my word, brat." Blaine watched as Mikey removed the birthday card and then handed it over to him. "Aw, this is nice."

It had some cartoon character the kids loved nowadays on the front of it and said ' _You will be my favorite 5 year old for the next 365 days'_. Mikey started to unbutton his uniform shirt.

"That is a long time," he said.

Blaine laughed. "Yup. Sure is."

When he opened it, there was a standard happy birthday message written, but Neil's voice started to speak. A  _Build-A-Bear_ gift card fell onto Blaine's lap. Mikey picked it up as Blaine realized Neil obviously did that thing where you record what you want to say and every time the person opens it, they can hear the greeting. Blaine smiled as he listened.

"Hi Mikey. I got you a Build-A-Bear card so that you could go get that Iron Man Build-A-Bear that you wanted so bad. Your bear can be best friends with my Hulk bear, just like we're best friends. And … I … I bet you'll make your bear cute just like you. Happy Birthday."

Blaine nodded at the message and looked at Mikey who buried his face in his pillow. "Wow. This kid is smooth. I'll give him that."

Mikey looked up and his face was red. He played with the gift card and shrugged. "I listened to that a lot."

"Well did you go to Build-A-Bear yet? And do you like him?"

Mikey blushed. "I'm just staying single right now. I gotta focus on school, bro."

Blaine laughed, nodding his head. "Oh, don't I know it. The school part, at least. And hey, single is ok. There's no rush to get with anyone right now, right?"

"Exactly." Mikey said. "But, Neil and I, we are leaving the option open."

Blaine smiled at him. "I don't know what to do with you."

As Mikey started to put his card back into its envelope, he looked up at his cousin. "Whenever we have our sleepover, we can go to Build-A-Bear together. I haven't gone yet because I don't want mommy or daddy to hear the card Neil gave me. I'm not supposed to date until I'm 40. They never knew how serious Lynne and I were."

Blaine sighed. "Parents can be tough. But I'll gladly take you. And if you have a show and tell, maybe you'll take Iron Bear and show Neil and say thanks? Just to be polite."

Mikey nodded, laughing. "Iron Bear."

Blaine smiled at him. "If you hurry and get out of your uniform, I'll play some PS4 with you before we start on homework."

Mikey grinned widely and hopped up, going to look for comfortable clothing. As he did so, there was a knock on the door and then in stepped Uncle Don. He smiled at Blaine and then let his son jump into his arms. "I heard you were looking for me, young man."

Blaine glared at his uncle. "Don't smile at me. What's going on? You could've given me the heads up."

Don put his son down after getting a tight squeeze. "It's my bad, then. I didn't think it was a bad thing because you'd been practicing and working out and to me that means you're getting ready. Why else would you wake up at 5 in the morning to run?"

Blaine looked at him seriously. "Because I didn't want my boyfriend finding out about any of it. Duh..."

"Well that's not exactly my fault. You should've been open with the both of us and this wouldn't have happened." Don sighed as his son threw his uniform shirt onto the floor. "Mikey, don't treat your clothes like that. Would you like me to get Kurt on the phone?"

He picked up the shirt and apologized.

"You're right." Blaine ran a hand through his hair. "And it's whatever now. Kurt and I worked it out. So Preliminaries are November 9th, I read."

"In Ohio," Don said. "And this is the Recon Tour. You're up against some professionals so we've gotta get your head in the game. We—"

Blaine interrupted him. "Ohio? There wasn't a closer competition?"

Don shook his head. "Not a serious one that would get you any respect or acknowledgement for that matter. And we booked the tickets, we're good. You just go and compete. We'll get you out of school for the day since it's a Friday. The other competition days will be over the weekend so it's nothing to worry about, B. I'll just run November 9th by Mr. Riley and we're good to go."

Blaine sighed. "I was hoping Recon was in Vegas this year."

Don shook his head. "Sorry, kid. But do you have any concerns with school or are you ok?"

Blaine took the controller from his little cousin and stole a kiss that made Mikey laugh and wipe it off. "Honestly, I'm doing great in school. Even though I've been picking up practice again. I will admit that I'm incredibly tired all the time and my boyfriend says he doesn't see me a lot after classes but, he's busy with recitals and I'm doing this. We'll get into the swing of things."

Don smiled and nodded. "That's the spirit. You definitely will. It's just this one competition. I'll make sure you're good until January, but you'll have the rest of November and December to spend the holidays with your family. Especially Kurt and your little sister, ok?"

Blaine nodded at that. "Fantastic."

"And you'll be able to pour 100 percent into school. We'll work it out, Blaine. Just keep doing what you've been doing. But listen, I've got to get back to the shop and close up. I'll see you around dinner time."

"Love you pops," Mikey said.

"Love you too, midget. Bye Blaine."

Blaine saluted him. "Thanks, unc. Love ya."

"Love you too." He cracked the door and went off, jogging down the steps. Blaine looked at his cousin and then the TV screen.

"Have you decided if you wanted a little brother or sister yet?"

Mikey smiled. "I know daddy wants a girl so I hope we have a girl. Mommy wants a boy though, but since she's the one who ate my Lucky Charms I'm going to side with daddy."

Blaine nodded, trying not to laugh. "Totally fair."

…

The bell rung signaling the start of fifth period lunch. Blaine said goodbye to his Italian teacher and then goodbye to Zach as he went towards Kurt's locker where they were supposed to meet up. They received their progress reports in the mail over the weekend and both Kurt and Blaine were  **A** students. Fucking As. Kurt was used to it, but for Blaine, it was a  _huge_ deal. Blaine's mom hadn't looked that proud in a while, and he felt on top of the world.

They were scheduled to meet with their guidance counselor today about looking into colleges. At the end of the month, they'd have their report cards, and if they aced their midterm exams then everything would be fantastic. This meeting would be beneficial in letting them know what they needed to do to be college application ready.

Kurt emptied a bunch of books into his locker as Hunter rambled in his ear. He laughed and listened, shaking his head at the things the boy said before Blaine snuck up on him and kissed his neck. Hunter gave Blaine a five and then told both he'd be at lunch, walking off after Dani tried to sneak past him.

"Hey cutie," Kurt turned around and kissed him softly. "Ready?"

Blaine closed Kurt's locker for him and smirked when Kurt removed his Lakers hat from his curly head. Kurt was such a do-gooder. "I'm ready."

They walked hand in hand to the first floor Guidance office and Blaine allowed Kurt to enter first. They said they were there for their appointment and Mrs. Williams came out with a smile on her face.

"Kurt and Blaine! A couple of Pace's star students this semester. Come right in."

Blaine hummed, sounding a bit shocked at that statement as he followed after Kurt. They sat at the desk across from her, post shaking her hand, and then smiled as she began.

"Well as I said, you two have been doing great thus far. Pace is proud to have you. But we know we won't be keeping you long as it is your senior year, so the focus now is looking forward. Before we begin," the young, brown skinned woman put her glasses on and looked through papers. "I have your transcripts here. Kurt, you've been a phenomenal student throughout your high school career. Blaine, you started out fantastic…" she smiled at him and he smiled, nodding his understand.

"Then I sort of gave up on caring. But now that's different."

"And I am glad to hear it. Education is important. I'm sure you've heard it time and time again so I won't stress you out."

Kurt turned to look at him, trying not to laugh at how Blaine had one of his scarves randomly thrown around his neck, just like old times. "Yeah. I get that. I'm focused now." Blaine told her.

Mrs. Williams smiled at the both of them. "Awesome. Now, let's talk about the two of you together. When Kurt initially came to me for this appointment, he told me that you've been an item for going on 5 months now and that after high school, you're making the move to New York  _together._ "

Kurt nodded and Blaine did as well, smiling at his boyfriend. "That's correct."

"So we want to apply to places in New York City. And before we do that, I want you to know that this is final. If you break up and decide that one of you wants to stay here or maybe go to Chicago, or wherever, you'll probably end up taking a year off after high school…"

Blaine shook his head. "We're together and this is how we're going to be until we're 93. I'll probably get tired of him then. But for now, he knows he's stuck with me."

Kurt smiled at the woman's laughter. "And he knows I'm perfectly fine with that. Forever. Ninety three isn't cutting it, Anderson."

Blaine smiled, taking his hand.

Mrs. Williams grinned. "You're both precious. Well, Kurt seems set on where he wants to go, but I'm going to present other options as well. This isn't meant to deter you, but to create back-up plans, because NYADA is an incredible school that's extremely competitive. We've had maybe three people accepted there since we've began."

Kurt took a deep breath but nodded as he gave her his full attention. "Yes. Yes, I understand that."

She brought out a few pamphlets. "What we're going to do for you Kurt is apply to NYADA, but also look into another pretty competitive school which is Julliard, and then NYU, New York Film Academy or NYFA, and last The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, AMDA. I like your chances with a few of these schools, so expect more than one acceptance because not only are your grades exceptional, but you are in Pace and will be in various performances and competitions and so on." She slid each of the pamphlets forward and Kurt leant over to take them, Blaine reading over his shoulder. "The application fees are going to add up, so what I suggest is that you just give a $100 fee to the school and instead of paying hundreds, we'll handle everything for you."

Kurt looked up at her and smiled. "Ok. That sounds great."

She smiled back, seeing a lot of promise in the both of them. "What I need you to do is go home and print out applications for all of those schools and start filling them out. When you get your report card, we'll have another appointment set up so that we can begin sending them out with your transcript. We're very early, but the earlier the better. Also, I know Leonard Riley is willing to write letters of recommendation for the both of you. He speaks highly of your talents."

Blaine looked up at her as Kurt took all of this in. He could tell how excited his boyfriend was. He spoke next. "I don't take my SATs until after we get our report card."

Mrs. Williams nodded. "Not to worry. Most schools allow you to update your results afterwards online, but if it is necessary and you'd like to wait a bit longer, that isn't a problem."

Kurt looked at him. "The earlier the better. Besides, you took it junior year and did great, right?"

Blaine nodded. "But I could do better, and my junior year grades are pretty worrisome."

"I don't think so," Mrs. Williams added. "Well, unless you're looking to get into an Ivy Leaguer," she told him with a smile. "But with the work you've been doing, we have a good chance of getting you accepted a few places. Add that to the fact that you are well known for what you do in the athletic field and you'll get in for that, too."

Blaine rubbed at the scruff on his cheek. "I'm not sure that I want to be accepted because of BMX. I want to be accepted because of music."

Mrs. Williams nodded. "I understand that, but I won't be able to stop the bias of the different colleges and universities. I chose a few places for you but what were  _you_  thinking?"

Blaine looked at Kurt and then back to the guidance counselor. "NYU. Manhattan College. And there's this place that Kurt's friend Artie told me about. It's mostly visual arts but I hear the music program isn't too bad. In Brooklyn, I think it was. I'll get you the name."

"Make sure you do, but I'm going to add Julliard to that list, which requires auditions which I'm sure you both know. Most Performing Arts schools do, but Julliard looks for the best of the best. You both just arrived at this school and are turning heads. A lot of people will be attending the recital in December looking for you, Blaine."

Blaine looked surprised but when he felt Kurt's excitement at that news, he smiled. "Wow."

"And I know that your major is in Chorus, Kurt, but the dance recital in November is going to be big for you as well. When the big wigs show up and see that you're a dancer, they'll take note of that. When the Chorus has their competitions, they will be watching. I heard you got a solo, along with Hunter Clarington, so congratulations."

Kurt smiled widely, unable to hide it. Blaine was proud of him. He worked really hard. "Thank you."

"So when they're looking for the next Broadway star and you've performed at the dance recital  _and_ are having solos in the choir, you're going to be up there on the list. College scouts aren't only looking at basketball and football players, boys."

Both teens nodded.

"With that being said, I want you to take what I've told you and start filling out applications. Do your research.  _Continue_ to work hard, because it doesn't stop now. Senior year to many is the year where you  _bullshit,_ for lack of a better term. But you boys need to prove that you're here for a reason. The other students here have been roaming these halls for years and while they're good, they aren't Kurt and Blaine, so continue doing what you do, and I will see you…" she looked down at her calendar. "November 13th, after Veteran's Day. is that fine?"

Blaine nodded, gathering the pamphlets. "It's great. Thank you for everything."

"Oh, well I will be at the recital on the evening of November 9th, so I'll see you boys then." She smiled and shook hands with Kurt who quickly extended his, smiling at her. Blaine froze in his seat as the date his guidance counselor said registered.

"Thank you so much for your help. I'm excited to get started."

"As you should be." She went to shake Blaine's hand and noticed he hadn't stood up yet, giving the teen a worried look. "Blaine? Are you ok?"

Blaine swallowed hard as Kurt looked at him and nodded. He was screwed. November 9th was the same day that his Preliminary competition in  _Ohio_ was. The same day that Kurt was having his first recital at Pace.

"Honey?" Kurt looked at him and Blaine nodded once more now, standing up.

"I'm sorry. I… my head was elsewhere. Thank you, Mrs. Williams."

She smiled, though she didn't believe him. Neither did Kurt. "Anytime. And if you ever need to talk, you know where I am," she said seriously. "Enjoy lunch. You both still have quite a bit of time."

Kurt led the way out of the office and Blaine rushed to grab his hand, needing to hold onto him. When they were in the hall, his boyfriend stopped walking and turned, pushing Blaine softly against the locker.

"Spit it out."

Blaine felt like he was pale but tried to pretend that everything was ok. "Baby…"

"Whatever it is, tell me. I know that something is wrong. Are you not sure about New York now? You'd rather stay here?"

"No, no," Blaine shook his head and looked down the quiet halls. "Baby, you know I want to go to New York and do school and start a family with you there. That's our plan and it isn't changing. You know that."

Kurt looked at him to see if he was genuine. "Then what is it?"

"Can you tell me you love me?"

Kurt nodded. "More than this world."

Blaine looked at him. "You promise?"

Kurt took both of his boyfriend's hands. "I'll never stop loving you, Blaine."

The rider looked down and didn't say anything else. Kurt kissed him and he went to deepen it, but the taller teen pulled back. "What's bothering you? Maybe I can help."

Blaine shook his head no. "I know it's a school night but do you think I can stay with you tonight?"

Kurt took a deep breath, realizing he wasn't going to get anything from his boyfriend. "I'll ask my dad. He should be ok with it."

Blaine nodded. "Alright. Let's go to lunch. Let's go somewhere for lunch, though. I just want to be alone. Me and you, ok?"

Kurt nodded after checking his boyfriend's watch. "We don't have that much time."

"Well then let's get a move on it."


	6. Trumpets

Kurt allowed his boyfriend to drag him by the hand all the way out to Blaine’s Lexus in the student section of the school parking lot. Blaine hadn’t said much of anything since their guidance meeting ended a few minutes ago, but what had been said was enough to let Kurt know that something was definitely wrong. Even if Kurt didn’t have Blaine’s ‘ _Tell me you love me_ ’ to go on, the boy’s actions spoke very loudly; Blaine was tense, there was minimal eye contact, he seemed to be in a rush, but nothing was more telling than the way he held on to Kurt’s hand so tightly. It was almost like if Kurt pulled away, Blaine wouldn’t be as steady as he stood now.

They made their way over to the black vehicle and Blaine opened the door for Kurt as always. Kurt gave him a quick, curious look before saying thank you and climbing inside. His boyfriend waited until he was settled in; backpack in the second row and seat adjusted comfortably before he closed the door behind him. Kurt watched Blaine pull off the scarf of his he’d been wearing and look around campus as he rounded the car, opening his door and climbing in. He sat back and took a deep breath, still not looking in his boyfriend’s direction.

Kurt turned to look out the passenger window instead. “So where are we going for lunch?” he asked.

For a moment, he hadn’t received an answer. Kurt closed his eyes and inhaled before letting it go. This had to have been Blaine changing his mind about going to New York with him, right? What else could it be? Maybe the seriousness of what they had just dawned on Blaine; they had been moving extremely fast since day one. It was almost like they were continuing their relationship from a lifetime before and it never stopped; they simply picked up where they left off. That could be a lot to take in for a guy like Blaine who wasn’t exactly the settle down type before meeting Kurt again. After all, Kurt prided himself on being a young man who knew exactly what he wanted. He had short-term goals and long-term goals, and back-up plans thanks to his several career interests. Now, they were going from being boyfriends, to less than a year from now living together on their own. Maybe he’d been too hard on Blaine, forcing school and music on him the way he did—

“Did you hear me, beautiful?”

Kurt looked to his left and raised an eyebrow. And apparently while he was lost in thought, his boyfriend had said something. “Huh? I’m sorry… I spaced out.”

Blaine stared at him and reached over for his hand. “What’re you thinking about?”

Kurt shrugged a bit and looked down. “A lot. I'm getting nervous about things. Maybe I'm just psyching myself out."

His boyfriend waited for the rest; hazel eyes focused on the prettiest lips they ever laid eyes on. Kurt didn't know whether or not pressuring Blaine about this here was the best thing but he hated it when Blaine didn't open up to him, and to be frank, his attitude was making him nervous. He took a look at Blaine and sighed.

"If you’re not ready to talk about moving away together or… I guess everything that we talked about with Mrs. Williams… I just want you to know that you shouldn’t feel pressured to. We can work something out and take things slower if it’d make you feel more comfortable.”

Blaine laced their fingers together as a small smile covered his lips. “What’re you going on about, amore?”

Kurt sat back and looked ahead of them. People were coming back from lunch and these two hadn’t even left yet. “...I know that something is bothering you, and I can’t even contribute it to the fact that I know you so well because I’m pretty sure that anyone would be able to look at you right now and tell that there’s something wrong.”

Blaine watched him for a moment and took in what was said. There was a reason that Nick was the drama student and he wasn’t. Blaine thought he was doing a decent job keeping his frustration over the fact that _these_ were the cards that were dealt to him tucked away, but apparently he sucked. He looked out the driver’s side window as Kurt continued.

“I don’t want to be responsible for you settling on something that I want just because you love me, while all along you’re unhappy. It’s the same thing we went through with your competitions...” Kurt squeezed his hand, urging Blaine to look at him and continuing when he had eye contact. “I was being selfish about that and imposing things I wanted on you and that wasn’t fair. If this is going too fast or you’re not ready or whatever the case may be, just talk to me.”

“I told you that this is what I want, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head and looked down. That tone of voice was in no way convincing.

Blaine turned in his seat a little. "I’ve been looking at apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens too, and more than anything I want our life to start there… our family’s lives to start there.”

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t—” Kurt pulled his hand away. “Don’t lie to me, Blaine. I think I’m being fair. You asked me what was bothering me and I was honest with you.”

Blaine looked away and pulled out his car keys. His boyfriend watched him before crossing his arms and facing forward.

“I’m not really hungry. I think I'm going to go back inside.”

Blaine was halfway to sticking the key in the ignition. He looked at Kurt and sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “Oh my fucking goodness. I’m not lying to you about anything—”

“I don’t understand why it is that you don’t trust me enough, or care enough to talk to me about things, but it does make me upset. If you don’t want to talk then I’ll be the one to say that.” He turned around and reached for his bag in the back seat and Blaine stared ahead at the school building. He watched as a couple freshmen stood up from beneath the palm trees and headed towards the entrance as well.

Kurt turned around and reached for the door handle but Blaine in turn reached for his arm, grabbing it tightly. Kurt tried to pull away but it was in vain. The rider was too strong.

“Blaine…”

"I'm not letting go," Blaine answered, using his other hand to lock the car doors after Kurt unlocked his. "Stop it. I’m not letting you go back in there angry with me."

Kurt sighed and pulled his arm away, again no luck. "You know I wouldn't be angry with you if you just said what was on your mind, right?" He pulled at the door but it wouldn't open.

Blaine let go of his arm but kept his finger on the button that locked the doors. "I'm upset because you keep trying to get out of the car and also because you think that I don't want to move to New York with you. Why would I even lie about that?"

"So that I wouldn't want to get out of the car."

"That's ridiculous. You’re being ridiculous."

Kurt pulled opened the lock but Blaine's finger was quick on the button to lock it right back. The younger teen glared at his boyfriend.

 "I guess I'm keeping you hostage until you're not mad anymore."

Kurt tossed his backpack into the second row once more and slouched down in the seat. He could feel Blaine watching him; hand still hovering over the lock button. "That isn’t going to happen until you start talking. So I take it we aren't actually going to get anything to eat?"

Blaine made a grunting noise of agreement. "If you hurry, you can probably get to the cafeteria and at least get a salad." He unlocked the door and looked at Kurt. The boy watched him for a while, skeptically, slowly turning around to grab his bag again and then reaching for the handle. Only Blaine locked the door again.

"Too slow!"

"I freaking hate you," Kurt said with a laugh, dropping the bag. He shook his head, knowing that Blaine had a goofy smile on his lips but not wanting to turn and see it. If he turned to see it, he'd definitely be forgiving Blaine and then the next time, his boyfriend would know he'd get away with this again.

Blaine bit his lip after he stopped laughing at the boy. "Can I have a kiss?"

"No."

He nodded. "Then let's talk, ok?"

Kurt turned to him and gave a sarcastic smile. "That would be lovely."

Blaine smirked and took his hand, finally letting go of the lock. "You're right, I'm wrong. You're not right about me not wanting to go to New York with you, because that's the furthest thing from the truth, but something is bothering me."

Kurt was quiet as he waited for the rest. Blaine scratched through his curls and then shrugged.

"I know this won't exactly help things right now but I would prefer to talk this through with my uncle first before I discuss it with you."

His boyfriend's eyebrows went up before a hurt look covered his face, but he quickly recovered with a smile. "Ouch." He laughed but Blaine knew that Kurt didn't like the sound of that at all.

"It's just that it has to do with BMX and competing and I want to run what I'm thinking by him first before—"

"It's perfectly understandable, Blaine. I get it."

Blaine looked out his tinted windshield and let his head fall against the rest.

Kurt shook his head. Now he kind of felt like he wasn't good enough, but he pushed those thoughts into the back of his mind and patted Blaine on the hand.  "Thanks for letting me know something I guess.... I’m going inside now."

Blaine nodded. "You'll know everything tonight."

Kurt didn’t reply to that.

“And I could totally be mad at you for thinking I’m lying about how serious I am, Kurt. Because you doubt that I’m telling the truth about wanting to be with you after we graduate when I’ve been the one changing everything around for you. The fact that I’m sitting in this school parking lot should speak volumes, as well as the fact that I’m applying to fucking colleges.”

Kurt sighed, still not looking at him. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Blaine.”

It was Blaine’s turn not to answer.

“I realize now that I was being selfish and controlling and it’s fucked up.” He looked down at the bag in his lap. “I’m sorry about that. The reason I doubted it was because of your reaction while we were talking about colleges and leaving Southern Cali and I thought that maybe it hit you that you didn’t want to do that right away.”

“Which is ludicrous.”

“I don’t know that, Blaine, because you won’t fucking tell me what it is—you know what…” Kurt took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a couple seconds. When he opened them, Blaine was back to staring out his driver’s side window. “It’s whatever. You say that you’re fine with it and I believe you. I’m—”

“You should believe me.”

Kurt nodded. “I’m going to wait until you’ve decided I’m good enough to talk to and then when you’re ready, I’ll listen. Deal?”

Blaine smirked a little and shook his head. “Your attitude is amazing right now.”

Kurt put his satchel over his shoulder. “I’m going inside.”

“Yeah,” Blaine unlocked the door and then turned to look at him. “Give me a kiss.”

Kurt opened the door successfully this time and got out, ignoring his boyfriend’s request. He slammed the door shut and Blaine rolled his eyes before getting out and chasing after him. Kurt had been walking towards the main entrance of Pace and hadn’t gotten very far when he was grabbed from behind and lifted into the air—Blaine pressed against his back. He tried to remove the strong arms from around his midsection but it was all in vain as Blaine carried him back to the front of the car and turned him so that they were face to face.

Kurt looked everywhere but at the boy in front of him and Blaine laughed, pecking his lips. “I love you, bae.”

“I’m not talking to you.”

“It sounds like you are.”

“Well I’m not.”

“I see,” Blaine said with a smile. “Well you’re a little touched in the head if you think I’m letting you walk away without giving me a kiss.”

Kurt still refused to look at Blaine even though the teen had pushed him onto the hood of the car and moved in between his legs. Kurt looked off campus and pretended not to be affected by the kisses trailing over his jawline. “If memory serves me correctly, you also said you wouldn’t let me out of the car and back into school if I was angry with you, but here I am pissed off and outside of the car.”

Blaine laughed, sliding his hands down to Kurt’s waist. “You’re really sexy when you’re pissed off.”

“I know.” Kurt moved his hands away. “Too bad you aren’t getting any.”

Blaine lifted an eyebrow. “Want to bet?”

“I’d love to.”

The rider stood up straight and looked up and down his boyfriend’s body. “I am staying the night. I bet I could get you to fuck me. If you give in I’m eating all your Yoplait.”

Kurt scoffed. “If I win, you give me your Rolex.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide. “How can you even take yourself seriously? Do you know how big a price difference that is—”

“I’m going to class—”

“You don’t even like wearing watches. And there’s like 20 minutes until sixth period so slow down.”

“Fine, but you have to do my math homework for the next two days.” Kurt moved Blaine’s hands away from his waist again. A teacher’s assistant walked by on her way to her car and looked at them so the teen was trying to keep it friendly. “And I wanted to get a salad or a banana or something while I still can.”

Blaine licked his lips and leant in close, kissing Kurt softly. He had eye contact when he pulled away. “You’ve got a deal. I’m winning anyway. But, I don’t like it when you’re mad. I especially don’t like it when you’re mad at me.”

Kurt smiled at him.

“Unless we’re in between the sheets, because that’s different. That’s anger I can work with—”

“I don’t like being mad at you but I’m nervous about all of this. You scared me back there.”

“And for that, I’m sorry.” Blaine kissed him again and this time, Kurt began to reciprocate. “You know that I love you. You know that I’m going to tell you everything. I promise.”

Kurt sat back on the hood of the Lexus and played at the designs on his boyfriend’s shirt. “I love you too.”

“Then give me a kiss.”

He smiled and scooted forward, placing his lips over Blaine’s. As he spoke, their mouths touched. “You promise me you’re going to tell me the _truth_ after you and Donnie talk, correct?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Kurt stared into the gorgeous hazel eyes and tried not to roll his own at the smirk Blaine was wearing. He leant in and kissed him, not too deep but just enough to make Blaine chase him when he pulled back. They both smiled, and before long Kurt was pecking kisses gently across Blaine’s lips.

“I gave you seven. That should last you.”

Blaine watched as a car pulled out of the lot before placing his hands on Kurt’s ass. “Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

Kurt smiled. “I’m not mad.”

“Good.” Blaine kissed him again and let him up. “You’re free to go.”

The teen stood up straight and fixed his clothes before adjusting his satchel. He reached for Blaine’s hand, about to lead him inside. “We can look at these college brochures while we—babe? Why aren’t you moving?”

Blaine smiled and gestured back to his car. “I’ve gotta make a quick stop.”

He was given that look that pretty much said ‘ _what the hell are you talking about?_ ’ from Kurt and Blaine squeezed his hand, quick to answer the unspoken. “I need to go to Odyssey and talk to my uncle.”

Kurt turned around and looked at the huge clock on the side of Pace’s building. He faced Blaine with an obvious expression. “You do realize that by the time you get there, Mr. Riley’s class will be starting, right? You’re not going anywhere.”

Blaine smiled, taking his hand back. “I’ll only be a minute.”

“Blaine.”

The teen went back to his car and opened the door. Kurt was staring at him and there was no question that he was upset _again._ Blaine bit his lower lip. “I’ll see you soon, beautiful.”

Kurt stood there until Blaine got in the car, started it up, started blaring ‘Am I Wrong’ by Nico & Vinz, and put the car in reverse. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, walking towards the school building.

…  


“Blaine! What’s up man? Long time no see.”

Blaine nodded to Steve as he walked into Odyssey. There were a couple other employees present, none that Blaine knew well. He turned to Steve and gestured to the back. “Good to see you. I’m going to go chat with my uncle really quick.”

As Blaine started to walk to the back, the Fez look-alike stopped him. “Mr. Kinsella actually didn’t come into the shop today. He won’t be back until Wednesday as a matter of fact.”

Blaine turned to him. “Really?”

Steve nodded. “Shouldn’t you be in school anyway, man?”

Blaine looked at his watch. Chorus and Band were starting in the next minute. He considered going back but he’d be late anyway. “I should be.”

“But you’re getting ready for the Recon Tour,” Steve said with a smile. “I’m excited to root you on, man. And tell Kurt not to be a stranger. I miss his company.”

Blaine smiled back at him as he dialed his uncle’s number, walking to the exit. “I’ll let him know. See you around man.”

“Alright, B!”

Blaine stepped in front of the shop and looked around the busy street; phone pressed to his ear. It began to ring a couple times and finally, a voice answered. That voice belonged to Aunt Pam, though.

“Blaine? Everything ok?”

Blaine looked to make sure he dialed the right number before putting it back to his face. “I could ask you the same thing. Where’s Unc?”

“He’s in the shower. We decided to take a couple days off and help your mom do some baby proofing around the house. Why aren’t you in school?”

Blaine went to his car and got in. “I need to talk to Unc. It is my lunch break and it’s super important. I’ll be there in like 5 minutes.” He of course neglected to leave out the fact that there was only two minutes left of his lunch break, but that wasn’t very important.

“Ok.” She told him to drive safely and Blaine promised he would before starting the car up. As soon as their call was disconnected, he got a got a text from his boyfriend.

**From Kurt:**

**You have one minute to get back here and sit at the drums.**

Blaine chewed on his lip as he sent a reply and didn’t bother reading Kurt’s answer to it when it did come. He knew it’d be an angry one. He’d fix that later.

**To Kurt:**

**Running late. I’ll see you in Improv class. Love you.**

…

When Blaine showed up, his uncle opened the door as he towel dried his curly dark hair. He hadn’t yet put his glasses on and his face was doing that squinty thing damn-near blind people did. “Well if it isn’t my lovely nephew, a boy after my own heart, skipping class to come and see me. To what do I owe the honor?”

Blaine smiled at him as he stepped in. “We really need to talk.” He headed for the kitchen to get something to drink and maybe an apple. Don closed the door and then followed behind him, sitting at the table as Blaine kissed his wife hello.

“What is it that’s so urgent? I hope this is about you nailing your routine for Preliminaries. Are you excited yet?”

Blaine looked through the fridge. “Not really.” He found a bottle of water and went to the sink to wash off the Granny Smith apple he’d found. “I need a new competition. I know there’s one at Disney World in January. I’ll sign up for that.”

Pam looked at her husband whose face changed at his nephew’s request. “What? Why—”

“I need to pull out of the Recon Tour.” He turned around and looked at Don, stepping a little closer and leaning against the counter. “As great as the opportunity is, and as grateful as I am for it, I can’t take part in it this time around.”

Don simply stared at him. The man was certain his nephew had lost his mind. There was no way he was for real. “You’re joking.” He stated it even though it was sort of a question, because he really wondered if Blaine was going crazy. Don had been working hard to get his nephew ready for this.

But, Blaine took a bite of the apple and shook his head no.

“Blaine. I’m sorry to inform you but that’s not going to happen. You’re not pulling out of Recon. The exposure you’re going to get from it is going to take you from being nephew of Don Kinsella, Southern California BMX star Blaine Anderson, to _National_ BMX star, possibly having your own little action figure Blaine Anderson. I’d be stupid to let you walk away from that. I don’t get how you could want out…”

Blaine swallowed and knew from the way his aunt was looking at him that he’d better have a good reason. “Like I said, I’m extremely thankful that you got me in and that people want to see me compete on a national scale to begin with, but I just learned that the day of Preliminaries is the same day that my boyfriend will be having his first dance recital at Pace. I don’t know if that would seem like a big deal to you or to anyone else, but it means the world to him, thus meaning it means the world to me, and because of that, I’m willing to opt out of Recon and do something else.”

Don looked at Pam, but she only focused on a very confident Blaine as he spoke. The man reached for his glasses and put them on. “Blaine, I’m very proud of Kurt, and that’s all very sweet of you, but—”

“There is no ‘but’, Unc.” Blaine sat at the island and was adamant as he spoke. “Unless I can qualify for the competition on a different day then that’s it. I’m pulling out.”

Pam turned to her husband. “Shouldn’t you respect his wish?”

The man smiled. “Honey, I respect Blaine a lot. His turnaround over the past couple years has been amazing and I’m thankful for Kurt because of that.” He looked at Blaine now. “ _But_ , there is a ‘but’, Blaine. I need you to realize how unprofessional this will look. For starters, there are already fans and even your sponsors campaigning for you. You have so many people you don’t want to let down by not showing up at all. If you were to lose, at least you would’ve been there. But dropping out?”

“I can rectify all of that later. I’m 17. There will be other opportunities, Donnie. That’s why I’m asking for your help on this.”

Don rubbed tiredly at his face.

“I had Kurt by my side for the entire summer. From Preliminaries until I got my trophy, he was in the stands. It wasn’t even a question anymore, I’d look out and I’d see him and it felt fucking amazing. I felt on top of the world.—”

“Language, Blaine.” Aunt Pam warned.

“Sorry.”

Don spoke. “I understand that—”

“I don’t think you do,” his nephew said, interrupting. “I got to experience what it was like, and Kurt’s going to be able to look out into the front row of seats and see me there for him on his big night, giving the loudest standing ovation in history, and maybe it isn’t as big a stage as my competitions, but one day it will be even bigger, and I’m going to be right there again,” Blaine told him. “Because that’s the type of relationship he and I have and I’m not sacrificing that so I can go qualify for a stupid competition. I’ve had my time to shine, years worth. He’s been fighting for years, Unc. I’m going to be front row.”

Don shook his head. Pam looked at him. She’d been to a bunch of Blaine’s competitions and she was no doubt one of his biggest fans, but this was definitely a moment she was most proud of him.

“You’re my manager,” Blaine began, “I just ask that you do what’s best for me like you should. Winning first place or having all these different companies plaster my face on t-shirts isn’t always what’s best. Sometimes, my personal life is going to have top priority and if you don’t agree with me, maybe I should manage myself.”

Don smiled and looked up at the boy. Blaine had so much of his father in him. “That’s a terrible idea.”

Blaine stood back up. “I’m going back to school.”

Pam smiled at him and grabbed the teen by the wrist before he could get far. “Listen, champ. We’ll get this figured out. I for one respect your decision and I love that you’re willing to do that for Kurt. Just relax and keep out of trouble, ok?”

He nodded. “Thank you, auntie.”

Don sat back in his seat and smiled. “Well, I’ve gotta take your mom and aunt to Babies ‘R’ Us. I’ll see what I can do, ok?”

That wasn’t good enough. Blaine nodded anyway. “Bye.”

“No more skipping class.”

“I won’t.” He took another couple bites of the apple and tossed it into the trash before bailing. Don took a look at his wife and smiled before exhaling hard, dragging both hands over his face. “Just when I think that things are going well…” He shook his head. “I spoke too soon earlier. I was thinking that everything was great.”

Pam stood up and smiled at him. “Can I ask you something?”

Don nodded, looking up at the woman he loved. “Anything.”

“I just need to know what you would do if you were in Blaine’s shoes? Keep in mind that Blaine has been winning BMX titles since he was prepubescent and that Kurt hasn’t really had his chance to shine…”

Don smiled as he watched her walk to the sink. It was obvious whose side she was taking. “If I was in Blaine’s shoes I’d definitely do the same thing.”

“Alright then. That should make your decision as his manager a bit easier.”

Her husband nodded, standing up. “I guess I’m going to make a few calls.”

…

Kurt said goodbye to Hunter once they were outside of the auditorium. He rubbed tiredly at the nape of his neck and started towards his locker. Chorus + Band class was interesting today to say the least. They went over their set list for the upcoming competition—something called the _LA Classic_ which was basically the Sectionals for this area. The TA was on drums since Blaine decided that he wasn’t going to show up for class and Kurt wasn’t at all surprised when he was followed out of the auditorium by him.

“So where’d your boyfriend run off to?” Liam asked with a smile, a little closer to Kurt than he probably needed to be. “I saw him in Orchestra this morning before I watched you work in Dance class…”

Kurt moved aside a little as he made his way through the halls of Pace High, trying not to bump into any of the other students. Liam stayed pretty close though. “He had an emergency.”

Liam hummed acknowledgment before grabbing Kurt by the hand and pulling him aside. Kurt looked at him like he was stupid before pulling his hand back. “Can I help you?”

The man smiled, his piercing blue eyes locked on Kurt’s. Kurt honestly hated how handsome the TA was. “Listen, we don’t exactly talk anymore. I used to think we were a little bit closer, right?”

Kurt leant against the wall and folded his arms. “Well that was of course before you asked me to do your dirty work for you with a guy who’s dating someone else.”

“Speaking of which,” Liam began. “I do remember helping you out that day and as a result, you got a passing grade, but I got absolutely nothing. Do you think that’s fair?”

Kurt looked down the busy hallway. People didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the two of them. “I don’t care. I didn’t agree to anything, Liam. You did that on your own.”

The TA smiled, licking his lips as his eyes moved down Kurt’s physique. “Maybe that’s true. But I did it for you, just like I convinced your dance instructor Frankie to give you a lovely spot at the recital, but I may have to reconsider that since you treat me like an outcast. I only help my friends.”

Kurt felt his phone begin to vibrate as he rolled his eyes. “Your blackmail means nothing to me, Liam. I’ve got to get to class.”

“Improv, right?” Liam smiled as he stepped back. “Have fun. I hear you have a substitute today. I gotta get back to campus anyway.”

The teen glared at him. His phone vibrated again. “I’ll just tell Mr. Riley about you scamming me if you think that’s a good idea, so don’t do it.”

Liam winked at him and stared a little suggestively. He saw Nick out of the corner of his eyes and turned to him, smiling. “Well if it isn’t my favorite up and coming actor. Nicholas Duval! Faculty loves you, man.”

“Thanks.” Nick nodded to him and then looked at Kurt. “I was waiting for you by your locker. Everything ok?”

Kurt nodded, standing up straight. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

“Hey Nick,” Liam said, stepping close. “Do me a favor and let Blaine know that it’s been a lot of fun sharing Kurt with him.”

Kurt turned around just in time to see him wiping his lips, suggesting they were kissing. “Fuck you.”

“Shouldn’t talk to a TA like that, baby. I’ll see you boys around tomorrow.” He winked again and walked off. Nick watched him go with an eyebrow raised before he felt Kurt storm off. The late bell rang and Nick cursed underneath his breath, following after his friend.

“Do you want to tell me what that was about?”

Kurt turned the corner, still pissed off, and Nick wasn’t so sure he’d ever seen him pissed like this. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see him pissed like this ever again in his hopefully long life. “I can’t stand him. I thought he was such a great guy when we met him but he’s a fucking scum bag.”

Nick watched as Kurt began to open his locker. “Did he try to make a move on you?”

Kurt popped the lock after putting in the combination. He was fuming. He tossed his backpack into the locker and slammed it shut. “He’s mad because I won’t give him the time of day, and apparently because he does all these nice things to supposedly help me, not that I asked for any of it…” He shook his head and looked at Nick. “I guess I’m supposed to kiss his ass. But since I won’t he’s threatening me with the Dance recital.”

Nick took in everything he was told and shook his head. “Wow. Ok first, I’m telling Blaine all of this.”

Kurt reached into his pocket for his cell phone, thinking it was Blaine that’d been texting him, only it was Sam. He gave the phone a confused look at that. “Oh, I’m telling him too. You don’t have to worry about that.” They began to walk to Improv class. “By the way, we have a substitute today.”

Nick nodded. “Jeff told me. He wanted to skip his seventh period and come hang out but I told him no. But back to this Liam thing…”

Kurt noticed the halls cleared out now and they were pretty much the only two walking. “I’m telling Blaine. I’m nervous he’s going to do something that gets him kicked out but I don’t want him to hear something from someone else and then think I’m cheating on him or some… some bullshit.”

“Don’t worry about that. He’s not stupid,” Nick told him. “Where is he anyway?”

Kurt shook his head, taking the opportunity to read the messages from Sam. “He said he needed to talk to Don and never came back to school so I don’t know.”

**From Sam:**

**Yo! Kurt, we miss you.**

**From Sam:**

**I’m in glee club right now and everyone says hi. We’re wondering if we’ll be seeing you November for Blaine’s competition here in The Buckeye State. Dude, we all bought tickets to quarterfinals and we’re hype. So he better fucking make it to quarterfinals.**

**From Sam:**

**Well, we all didn’t buy tickets… but most of us did :)**

Kurt smiled. He seriously hoped he’d be able to make all of the competitions. He listened as Nick mentioned how much of an idiot Blaine was for skipping Mr. Riley’s class of all classes as he typed out a response.

**To Sam:**

**I hope I can make the weekend of the competitions but I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to. I can tell he’s excited to be back in action. But why didn’t you guys just get tickets for Preliminaries where you would definitely be able to see him perform?**

“He may be an idiot, but he’s my idiot. And I’m definitely dealing with him later.”

Nick smirked. “Wanky.”

“And stop video messaging Santana. You’re getting equally annoying,” Kurt said with a laugh. He looked down at the message as they walked into Improv class.

**From Sam:**

**Well because Preliminaries is so long and you have to sit through all of the crap people who won’t qualify as well as the super good ones so you’re in the stands for a while. Besides that, it’s on a Friday. On November 9 th. That’s a school day. We could skip but no one wanted to spend money to watch him qualify. We want to see him kick some ass! Preferably on a weekend where we could all chill afterwards, too. **

Kurt stopped walking and Nick didn’t notice, leaving him standing there in the doorway. He spotted his best friend and shook his head at him as Blaine looked up at the pair from where he lay on the mats in the improv classroom, listening to one of the junior girls play her guitar. The substitute teacher seemed to be pretty mellow.

Blaine sat up and slapped five with Nick before pulling him down beside him. The boy laughed as he tumbled, and then looked over at Kurt. Blaine looked up at him too.

“You’re late to class, Hummel,” Blaine teased. But then he saw the look on Kurt’s face and it wasn’t a good one. “Babe?”

Kurt read the message a couple times. He began to piece together the puzzle. Mrs. Williams, their guidance counselor mentioned Kurt’s dance recital being on November 9th. That was at the end of the meeting. That was also the time that Blaine started to act super weird and distant. So basically, he gathered that his recital would be the same day that Blaine was in Ohio qualifying for a BMX competition, and he understood why Blaine didn’t want to talk to him, instead going to Don instead.

Blaine stood up and walked over to him. Kurt shook himself out of it and pocketed his phone. “What’s wrong with you, beautiful?”

Kurt took a deep breath and looked at him. Blaine’s eyes were scanning his own and he tried to smile. “Mr. Riley is upset with you for skipping.”

Blaine stared at his boyfriend. “I don’t give a shit if he’s upset with me for jumping, I want to know what’s wrong with _you._ ”

“Did you talk to your uncle?”

Blaine nodded to him and took his hands. “I did. And we should probably talk about that—”

“Are you telling him about Liam?”

Blaine looked back at Nick and then to his boyfriend. Kurt gave Nick an exasperated look. “What’s going on with Liam?” Blaine asked.

Kurt pulled back and walked over to the mat on the floor. He sat down. “He’s an idiot. What happened with your uncle?”

Blaine looked at Nick who slouched back, interested in the answer to that too. The girl playing guitar laughed at a couple of their classmates as they began to rough house in the corner. He looked at Kurt and walked over, sitting on the mat beside him. “I went to tell him that I don’t want to compete.”

Kurt looked up at him and nodded. He took a deep breath. “Why would you do something like that? You _do_ want to compete.”

Blaine shrugged. “November is a busy month for me. My little sister is due next month. We’ve got the LA Classics and I’ve got to get ready for winter recital. Juggling that with BMX would be really hard.”

Kurt ignored his vibrating phone and nodded.

“I told Unc I’ll do the next competition in January. It’s in Florida… Disney World. I can take you and Mikey and your Dad and his girlfriend and Blaze and we’ll have an amazing time.”

Kurt took his hand. “The competitions are really just one weekend, right? This Recon Tour, I mean. You’ve got The Round of 16 and then Quarterfinals and then Semis and then the Finals, right?”

Blaine nodded. “Right. But think of prep time, and then press too. I’ll be busy.”

Kurt sighed. “Uh huh. And this in no way has anything to do with your Preliminary being the same day as my Recital?”

Blaine froze; his hand going limp in Kurt’s. His boyfriend watched his change in demeanor and shook his head.

“You’re an asshole for lying to me.”

Blaine looked away. “I’m sorry. I’m— I didn’t want to tell you that it was the same day because you’d fucking blame yourself and this is in no way your fault.” He looked back to Kurt. “Ok, I seriously feel like a dick but the other reasoning is true, too.”

Kurt smiled at him. “But the main reasoning is because of the recital, correct?”

“Because I’m not missing that recital for the world, Kurt. I’m not missing your big night. The Recon Tour can honestly suck a dick.”

Kurt lay back on the mat. He could see Nick getting guitar lessons from the junior behind them. Blaine lay down on his side; hand placed on the boy’s hip. He teased the boy’s piercings through his shirt. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“Can we get one thing straight?” Kurt looked over and Blaine nodded. He looked so beautiful. Kurt could tell he was really sorry and he only wanted to protect him in all of this, and nothing Blaine ever did was malicious. “Good.” He leant up to kiss Blaine after the boy nodded and then laid back against the mat. “If you ever lie to me again, I’m twisting your nuts and pulling them off.”

Blaine gave a closed lip smile after the fearful look melted away from his face. “I’m sorry about lying. I just couldn’t let you tell me to do the competition because you’d have other recitals or performances that I could go to.”

“But I will,” Kurt told him. “And I love that you want to be at this one but there will be others. I’m not going to lie to you and say that it doesn’t suck that you have to miss it, because I am excited and I’d _love_ for you to be there, but I’ll have Aunt Pam record it or we can buy the production copy from the school and after you kill it at your qualifier, you come home to me and we’ll watch it together.”

Blaine shook his head no. “It isn’t that I simply want to be at this one, it’s that I’m going to. We’re not going to argue about it.”

Kurt smiled. “I’m not arguing with you, I’m merely suggesting—”

“I’m not interested,” Blaine told him. “The only thing I’m interested in is being in the front row and recording how amazing you are myself so that when we have children of our own, we can all watch it together and I can tell them that their father is fucking awesome. I don’t want to come back here and watch something that I wanted to witness on a DVD copy.”

Kurt looked up at the ceiling. They fell quiet and the sounds of their noisy classmates around them filled the space between the two. Kurt had to admit that he had the most amazing boyfriend he could ask for, but he did try to stop being selfish and understand things from Blaine’s perspective after their last fight. He wanted to continue that streak. “You know that you have a lot of fans counting on you, right? You’ve been working hard practicing and working out and I know that you’re excited about it.”

“I’m not missing your performance.”

“So what happens one day when we’re both successful and we both have something going on? Maybe it’ll be me performing at a show and you having a tour of your own, musically or sports related to attend. You can’t just turn away from that.”

Blaine smiled. “What you and my uncle are failing to realize is that I can’t always put everyone else first. My fans are wonderful people and I’m lucky to have them but because they exist, I can’t just push you and my family aside to do BMX tricks. My priority is you.”

Kurt nodded.

“In the future, things may be different. I won’t be able to make every performance, and you won’t for me either. But right now, _I_ am making the choice to cancel my appearance. If a fan doesn’t understand that I have a life outside of the sport then they probably aren’t a fan.”

“I love you, Blaine.”

“I love you too.”

“I just…” Kurt looked at him and smiled. “I won’t argue with you. I love you. Thank you for wanting to support me regardless and thank you for being honest with me from this point going forward.”

Blaine nodded, smiling at the serious face his boyfriend gave him at the latter. “You don’t feel guilty, right?”

Kurt shrugged. “I wouldn’t say guilty because I know this was out of our hands, but I feel a little sad. I wanted you to be able to do what you love and now…”

“I love seeing you be the star I know you are, Pollux.” Blaine kissed him softly and brushed his thumb over the teen’s cheek. “You’re the brightest star. I’m not missing it for the world.”

Kurt smiled, refusing to get teary eyed. “I really, really love you.”

Blaine kissed him again. “Do you want to tell me about Liam now or while we’re shopping for our Press Dinner suits later on?”

Kurt exhaled as he thought about it. “He’s being really disgusting towards me because of everything with Ian and José and how I can barely stand being around him now because of that. …I swear that if you retaliate and end up getting kicked out I will cry, Blaine.”

Blaine looked in his boyfriend’s eyes. “I’m listening.”

“I’m serious.”

Blaine took his hand. “I’m not making any promises not to retaliate but I do promise I won’t get kicked out, or suspended, or any of that. I just want people to know they’re not supposed to mess with what’s mine.”

Kurt turned onto his side a little. He played at the designs of Blaine’s shirt some more. “He said that because he bailed me out with the whole Dance thing, and that I didn’t hold up my end of the deal—one of which I didn’t even agree to by the way—”

“I know,” Blaine said. Kurt continued.

“He thinks that I should be kissing his ass, for lack of a better term. Then Nick shows up after he told me that he got me such a great spot on the night of the dance recital, because Nick usually meets you and me by my locker, and Liam told him to tell you that he’s having fun sharing me with you, or something along the lines. He then wiped at his lips as if we were kissing.”

Blaine continued to look at Kurt before staring to the front of the classroom. Kurt rubbed from his arm to his shoulder.

“If you didn’t skip class he wouldn’t have cornered me, you know.”

Blaine smiled, but it was definitely a fake one. He was pissed off. “I’m sorry, babe. Trust that I’ll handle it in a civil way. He’ll keep his distance, ok?”

Kurt wasn’t so sure of that promise. He nodded anyway. “Alright.”

Blaine sat up now; muscles tense. He turned and watched Kurt reply to the messages from Sam before rolling his neck a bit. “After school, I’m going to stop at my place and pack clothes for tomorrow and then we can go shopping for the Press Dinner.”

Kurt smiled at him, rubbing his back. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. Nervous at all?”

Blaine smirked. “About what?”

“Showing me off to the public. Making a statement for LGBT across the country. Possibly getting a lot of hate from people who won’t like that. Things like that.”

His boyfriend laughed a little and looked back at him. “I’m your ride or die, Kurt. I actually give negative three fifths of a fuck about people who don’t like that.”

Kurt sat up and took his hand. “You know I’m going to be by your side through any and everything, right?”

“I know that with all my heart.”

Kurt smiled. “Perfect. Now let’s do our homework so we have more time to hang out later.”

Blaine nodded at that. “Perfect.”

…

The rest of the day went a lot better for both Kurt and Blaine. Burt told Clarissa it was fine for Blaine to stay the night, despite them having school the next day. Blaine was happy about that. He missed getting to sleep with his boyfriend. Holding Kurt in his arms was his favorite thing to do.

They hugged and kissed Mikey for a while before Blaine and Kurt got in the car and got on the interstate. Kurt almost died from immense euphoria when his boyfriend said that they were going shopping in Beverly Hills. He couldn’t help but laugh at him.

No, he wasn’t driving all the way to Beverly Hills because he knew that it’d result in him getting some tonight and winning the bet. That wasn’t what this was at all.

Lol. It kind of was.

Blaine turned the radio up a little before wrapping an arm around Kurt’s seat. Kurt nodded his head to the music and spoke.

“I love this.”

Blaine nodded. “His whole album is pretty good.”

Kurt smiled. “Jordin Sparks is _so damn_ lucky. I’d for sure lick Jason Derulo from head to toe for free.”

Blaine started laughing. “I guess I have to kick Jason Derulo’s ass after I kick Liam’s ass.”

Kurt smiled. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Where are we going specifically?”

Blaine switched lanes as he played in his boyfriend’s hair. “The Beverly Center. I was thinking Dolce & Gabbana. And then we’ll get something to eat afterwards and head back home.”

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand and held it in his lap. “That sounds amazing. We should wear matching ties.”

Blaine nodded with a smile. It was hard to get him to care about clothes, but this was going to be a lot of fun. “We should. We should also roll our windows down and sing this song at the top of our voices to all the people along the I-105.”

Kurt smiled as the windows were lowered. He began first.

 _“Every time that you get undressed_  
I hear symphonies in my head  
I wrote this song just looking at you ooh, oh  
Yeah the drums they swing low  
And the trumpets they go-”

Kurt laughed, doubled over as Blaine obnoxiously made the trumpet noises in the song, getting looks from their neighboring cars. Blaine smiled at him and held his hand tight, the both of them continuing to loudly scream the lyrics.

Yeah. He loved being Kurt’s ride or die.

…

That evening, while his boyfriend and father were downstairs watching ESPN before watching the Monday night football game (massive eye roll), Kurt sat on his bed with his laptop and cell phone in hand. He did some research on the Recon Tour in Ohio with every intention of finding a way that Blaine would be able to compete if he wanted to, and still make it to his recital.

Preliminaries were taking place from 9 that morning until 2 in the afternoon. Kurt didn’t exactly know how it worked. He remembered Blaine went relatively earlier during the summer competitions because it was on a last name basis, but this had the potential to be different. He could go up last for all Kurt knew. If that was the case, it’d take roughly four and a half hours for him to get back to California from Ohio. The recital was to begin at 6:30 P.M. It was an extremely close call.

Kurt took a deep breath as he thought things through. Anything could go wrong. It was going to be November in Ohio. It was cold on the east coast, and sometimes the snow did come early. There could be flight delays or anything. The last thing he wanted to do was get his or Blaine’s hopes up, but, he did want to give him the opportunity to at least get back in the swing of things.

The league that was running this competition was actually located in Sacramento. Kurt noticed a contact name on the website and quickly dialed the number provided. He didn’t know if this was going to be in vain, and it probably was, but nothing beat failure but a try, right?

The phone rang a couple times and Kurt wondered if the office was closed. It was after 6 P.M now. He almost hung up when a gentleman answered the phone, a heavy voice entering his ear.

“BMX World. Gary Thompson speaking.”

“Hello? Hi, Mr. Thompson!” Kurt sat up straight and pushed the laptop off his legs. “Hi, I’m um, I have a couple questions for you if you have the time. About the Recon Tour.”

“The Winter Recon Tour?”

Kurt made a confused face. “Um. The BMX one next month?”

“Oh,” the man answered. “May I first ask who I’m speaking to?”

Kurt didn’t know whether or not he should be honest and say he was Blaine’s boyfriend. He gave a general answer instead. “My name is Kurt. I’m calling on behalf of Blaine Anderson.”

“Ah. Ticket sales definitely rose when Blaine signed up. He has a lot of fangirls, and Adidas is promoting him as well.”

Kurt smiled at the fangirls part. How cute. “Well my question is do you have any specific order for Preliminaries? I know it’s going to be a lengthy competition. We were curious about the order he’d perform.”

There was a hesitation on the other line and Kurt waited patiently. “Let’s see… we have Blaine Anderson to go 49th. It’s based on the order that the person enters the competition and he was a late comer.”

Kurt inwardly cursed. “How long do you estimate each ride to perform?”

Mr. Thompson cleared his throat. “A few minutes. The routines aren’t anything too elaborate when it comes to Preliminaties—I’m sorry but can I ask why you’re asking this? I’m a bit curious.”

It was time to come clean. Kurt rubbed at his forehead. “I don’t want you to think we’re asking for handouts, sir, but my—Blaine, he is considering dropping out of the Recon—”

“WHAT? Why?”

Kurt held the phone away from his ear for a moment; the loud shout scaring the hell out of him. “Well… something came up the same day as Preliminaries here in California, and he doesn’t want to compete because he wants to… handle that situation. I however would like him to compete for his fans and because he really wants to—”

“Oh, Kurt. We kind of need him to. We’ve already got him and the other stars on the website. Like I said, people have bought tickets for the finals hoping he’d be there. He _can’t drop_ this.”

Kurt nodded his understanding. “I know this would be a lot to ask, but if it was possible for him to perform earlier…”

“Shit,” the man answered. “I’d definitely have to check with my boss.”

Kurt resumed, his hope rising a little. “Please do. The idea is to have him on a flight back to California by noon.”

“I understand,” Mr. Thompson said. “Can I have your information? I’ll call you back to confirm, but for right now I’m penciling him in as one of the top ten to go up. We don’t want to lose him in this Tour.”

Kurt smiled, jumping up and down before falling back on the bed, composing himself, and taking a deep breath. “Yes, sir. I understand.”

He calmly gave him his number and Gary Thompson promised he’d call back soon with confirmation. When they hung up, Kurt threw up his hands in victory. He grabbed his computer again and went to buy a ticket for The Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, the day that his old friends from McKinley would be going to see Blaine compete.

…

“Hey stranger,” Blaine said to his boyfriend as he came down the stairs. “I’ve missed you. And you’re lookin’ mighty fine.”

Burt ignored him as Donny laughed a little, lifting a beer bottle to his lips. “Kurt! Where can I get tickets to this recital of yours?”

Burt cut in. “I already bought 10. You can have one. The whole shop is coming.”

Kurt smiled at that as he held a ticket of his own he’d just printed out in hand. “I’d love for you to be there, Don.”

Blaine smiled at him before looking back at the TV. “My uncle was just telling me that he signed me up for that Disney World competition in January, babe.”

“Yeah,” Donnie said. “Tomorrow I’ll have to prepare a statement about Blaine not doing Recon, but I support his decision.”

Burt looked at Blaine and nodded. It must’ve been hard but he respected that too. He looked at his son. “Come sit down. We’re watching Sports Center.”

Kurt glared at him.

“What’s in your hand?” Blaine asked curiously. That’s when the teen smiled and jumped a little, unable to stay calm for much longer.

“Ok. I think there won’t be reason Donnie to write a statement saying you won’t compete.”

Burt looked at his friend who looked at his nephew. They both then turned to Kurt, mirroring Blaine’s confused expression. “Why wouldn’t I?” Donnie asked.

Kurt felt incredibly happy, so if Blaine said no he would’ve been crushed. “I spoke to BMX World, the people running Recon—”

“I’m familiar,” Don said with a smile. “You spoke to them?”

“Yeah!” Kurt said excitedly. He looked at Blaine over his father’s huge head. “I just got confirmation that you can be one of the first ten to perform. I spoke to this guy first, but his boss called me back because they don’t want you to drop out. If you qualify, do a quick interview and promo, and then get on a flight, you’ll be back here in time with some to spare so that you can see me perform at the recital!”

Blaine slowly started to smile. “Wait… you called them? You worked that out for me?”

Kurt nodded. “Of course. I don’t want you to have to miss this competition. I don’t want to miss it either. And I have faith that Melody will wait until you’re back home to come. I had a long talk with your mother’s stomach and by the way Melody kicked I’m sure we came to an agreement.”

Burt laughed, looking at Blaine.

Don grinned excitedly. “Kurt, that’s amazing. That’s … maybe _you_ need to manage him.”

Blaine looked at his uncle. “Maybe he does.”

Burt laughed again. “Alright, everyone, calm down. My question is what if there is a flight delay? Are you sure you want to take that chance?”

The boy looked nervous now, and Kurt nodded. “That’s the thing. But I at least had to make sure that there was a chance. Fingers crossed, everything will go to plan. And I’m designing your helmet and jacket. Purple and black.”

Blaine smiled at him; his cheeks red.

“I also bought Mikey a ticket for the next weekend so that my friends in Ohio can meet him, if that’s ok with you Donnie? It’s on a Saturday so he won’t miss school, and I’ll watch him while you work with Blaine. I promise.”

Don smiled and looked at his nephew. “I think that’s something we can do.”

Kurt smiled. He didn’t even see it coming when Blaine attacked; pouncing and picking him up into the tightest, _bestest_ hug. It felt like the first time Blaine had come home after that trip of his in time for his birthday. It felt great. Kurt laughed and hugged him back.

“You see if you would’ve just told me, we could’ve worked this out earlier. No fear.”

Blaine smiled, nodding. “I know baby. I learned from that. And I love you.”

Kurt kissed him quickly, knowing his dad was right there. “I’m going to cook, ok? We’ll go upstairs to talk after dinner. And you can get all of the yogurt you want…”

Blaine bit his lip, smiling. “I can’t wait. But I’m still going to do your math homework just for the hell of it…”

Burt looked over at Don. “That sounds like code talk for sex to me.”

Kurt’s face changed. “And he just ruined the moment.”

Blaine smiled as his boyfriend pulled away quickly, going into the kitchen. The teen wasted no time clattering pots and pans. His uncle and Burt were laughing, and Blaine shook his head at the both of them.

Truth be told, he’d won a lot more than a bet today. He won the knowledge and confirmation of knowing that his boyfriend would move mountains for him. That was a beautiful thing.


	7. New Addition

Blaine pedaled slowly as he exited the park on his Colony bike. The locals waved at him—one guy held up a RideBMX magazine and wished him the best of luck. Blaine smiled at them as he rode by, but he was beat from such a long day.

School ended up being longer than your typical seven hour day. The band had rehearsal afterwards which meant two extra hours with his classmates and Mr. Riley. Blaine didn’t mind Mr. Riley much but he would’ve loved to leave school at 2ish with the rest of his friends. That didn’t happen. Thanks to the fact that a couple of the kids couldn’t get their parts right, the entire band had to suffer. It sucked.

Afterwards, he drove Nick and Jeff to the airport for their flight to New York. He was happy his friends were getting to fly to the Big Apple and finally meet Brooklyn—Nick had been talking about the moment ever since he got his head out of his ass regarding the little girl, and Blaine was happy for him. As if the day wasn’t long enough, Uncle Don called his cell phone.

That meant it was time to practice. It also meant that the Friday was extended even longer, and Blaine had to deal with Donnie timing his routine and making sure it was picture perfect probably 20 times in a row before they were done.

Blaine wasn’t one to complain, but that was before Kurt Hummel came along. Now, he still loved BMX and was just as passionate about it, but he didn’t want to put in as much time. More time away from Kurt meant less time with Kurt. Add school and music on top of that and this school year was proving to get longer and longer. It was like everything was a _Kurt_ block. Call him whipped or whatever you like, that’s just the way it was.

He rode across the boardwalk and people parted as always. A girl in a bikini smiled as she watched him and Blaine started to pedal faster, standing up and popping the bike into the air. He rode it down the railing before landing backwards on the ground. A kid watched in awe as he lifted his legs and spun the bike around forward and sat back down. Blaine winked at him before he rode off, whistling and making his way towards the beach house. It was eight in the evening, but at least Kurt would be there waiting for him.  Kurt always made a shitty day better.

…

“Cooper is winning!”

“How?!” Kurt asked, laughing as he danced along to the video game. “It’s not fair. This is my first time playing.”

Cooper smirked as he got all the dance moves perfect. Mikey giggled, cuddling his Iron Man Build-a-Bear close to him. “You’re doing good, Kurtie.”

“Just not as good as me,” Cooper teased. He started to sing along to ‘ _What Does the Fox Say?’_  as they played Just Dance 2014. “Your fur is red. So beautiful _…_ ”

Kurt laughed as he tried to follow the movement. “Really? Couldn’t we have picked a better song?”

The sound of the keys at the door made Mikey perk up. He turned back and smiled as he saw Blaine walk in. “Blaine!” With a shout, he jumped off the couch and ran towards his older cousin. Blaine smiled, catching the little ball of energy and tossing him into the air.

“My favorite Munchkin. What’s shaking?”

Mikey threw his arm over Blaine’s shoulder and with a smile he pointed to Kurt and Cooper playing Just Dance in the living room. “Cooper is beating Kurt at ‘ _What Does the Fox Say?‘_  They just did _Get Lucky_ together and Kurtie did so good.”

Kurt did the fox dance after trying to push Cooper so he’d mess up. Cooper laughed but didn’t falter. “You’re such a cheater.”

“Mikey is just saying that because he wants me to feel better.”

Blaine shook his head at his brother who had practically memorized the choreography. He walked over to the couch with his little cousin, plopping him down. “Hey beautiful.”

Kurt paused the game and turned around to kiss him. Cooper took a deep breath.

“Your boyfriend is such a cheater.”

Kurt smiled and pulled back, looking up and down at Blaine. “You look exhausted, honey. Is everything ok?”

Blaine nodded, blushing a little at how cute Kurt looked with his snapback cap on backwards. “I’m good. I’m sweaty.”

Kurt smirked. “I noticed, stinky.”

“Yeah,” Cooper teased with a smile. “Mom made some spaghetti and meatballs and mixed veggies. Go clean up and get something to eat.”

Blaine smiled when Kurt kissed him again before nodding to his older brother. “I’ll do that. Kick his butt, babe.”

Kurt winked. “I got this.”

Mikey smiled and cheered when they unpaused the game, clapping for the both of them. He couldn’t choose in between Cooper and Kurt. Blaine tiredly walked upstairs and went into his mother’s room first, kissing the sleeping woman on the cheek. She opened her eyes and smiled.

“Hello you.”

Blaine climbed over her and lay down on the bed. “I know I smell like bicycle. I just wanted to check up on you.”

Clarissa laughed. “You’ve smelled like bicycle since you were 6, Blaine.”

He smiled.

“I haven’t been feeling my best. Super exhausted.”

Blaine stared at her for a moment. “Just tiredness?”

Clarissa nodded. “I think I started having contractions today but it was a few. They stopped.”

Blaine listened to her.

“Melody wasn’t moving all day today and that made me a little worried,” she began. “I told that boyfriend of yours and he came into the kitchen while I was cooking and started to help. Sang _Popular_ from Wicked and next thing you know, the little girl is doing that dance… what is it you and Mikey made that video of? The Harlem Shake?”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Kurt’s convinced she’s a Broadway Star.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “All of your grandchildren that come from him and I will be Broadway Stars if you leave it up to Kurt to tell you.”

She laughed and nodded. “That’s a lovely young man you have there. Don’t you dare mess it up.”

Blaine kissed her cheek. “You and that rock head man you married didn’t raise no fool,” he said with a smile, watching his mother close her eyes. “Get some rest.” He rubbed her belly and kissed over the shirt she wore. “Love you Melody.”

Clarissa smiled. “Goodnight, Blaine.”

“Goodnight.” He got up and tiredly made his way out the room, preparing for his shower. He hoped he wouldn’t fall asleep under the spray of the water, because it’d been _that_ type of day.

…

Kurt looked up from his sketch book at Mikey and Cooper dancing and smiled to himself. The two were way too rambunctious for their own good, especially Michael. He had to sleepover with Kurt and Blaine and lord only knows what time he’d be going to sleep.

“Let’s do Macklemore next,” Mikey said after, his words, ‘dusting Cooper with the floor’. Kurt laughed and shook his head. “ _Can’t Hold Us_ is my favorite,” the boy continued.

Cooper brushed back his dark hair and did some stretches. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going to kick your butt like I did Kurt.”

“You play this game way more than I ever have,” Kurt said defensively. Cooper laughed and dodged the pillow Kurt threw his way.

“I’ll avenge you!”

Kurt smiled at Mikey. “Avenge me and you get a kiss on each cheek.”

“Bribery never works!” Cooper said.

“Yes it does,” Mikey answered.

Kurt laughed and stood up, taking his book with him. “I’m going to go check on Blaine. He’s been missing for a while.”

Cooper and Mikey grunted acknowledgment as they battled it out on the dance floor, and Kurt made his way up the steps. Diesel hopped onto the sofa and took the warm spot, getting comfortable.

Upstairs, Kurt knocked twice on his boyfriend’s bedroom door before opening. He did his best not to laugh at the sight before him as he turned the Raiders hat forward on his head. “Are you alive, honey?”

Blaine was face down on the bed—purple towel still wrapped around his waist. He’d barely dried off properly. Kurt shook his head as Blaine gave him a grunt as an answer. He walked over, put his pencil and pad on the dresser besides Blaine’s trophies, and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Long day, huh handsome?”

Blaine nodded, closing his eyes. “Too long. Not enough you.”

Kurt frowned and laid down next to him. “Look at me baby.”

Blaine turned his head but otherwise remained still. Kurt smiled at him.

“Why didn’t you let me help? I would’ve dropped Nick and Jeff off at the airport and then joined you at the skate park.”

Blaine took a deep breath and then propped himself up on his elbows. Kurt was sexy wearing his snap back and he really wanted to kiss him. “Mikey wanted to spend time with you for so long now. He did great on his report card and I promised he’d be able to spend time with us if he did. Besides, it wasn’t a big deal. I’m just extra tired from waking up earlier today to work out and what not.”

Kurt looked at him and smiled. “I’ll go make you a plate, babe. Relax for me, will ya?”

Blaine nodded. “Alright. Thank you, beautiful. I love you.”

Kurt sat up and placed his hand on the small of Blaine’s back, rubbing gingerly. He bent over and kissed the boy in the hair. “Afterwards, I’ll give you a nice long massage. I’ll help you to unwind.” He moved his hand up Blaine’s back and then down again, stopping right at the towel. Blaine bit his lip; eyes closed. “Is that ok?”

He nodded. “It’s great.”

Kurt smiled and stood up, removing the hat and placing it on Blaine’s dresser as he went. Blaine took a deep breath and smiled to himself as he started to get excited. “I’ve got the best, hottest boyfriend in the world to be honest.”

Kurt returned downstairs and smiled at the two still battling. Cooper turned around and looked at him, and Diesel followed when he noticed Kurt was going to the kitchen. “How’s he doing?”

“Exhausted,” Kurt answered. He walked over to the island and smiled down at Diesel. “What’s the matter boy?”

Diesel barked and sat at his feet to watch him.

Cooper tickled Mikey before continuing to dance and Mikey cackled, backtracking away. “If you win this match, I’ll take you out to see a movie and get some Coldstone ice cream!”

Mikey smiled. “Really? Even though it’s late?”

Kurt turned around with a questioning look while he dried his hands. Aunt Pam would kick Cooper’s ass. “Yeah, CJ. Even though it’s late?”

Cooper smiled and danced, purposely messing up on the video game so that Mikey would win. “I figured I could give _you_ and the little bro some alone time?” Cooper hinted. “I mean, Mikey and I can go chill while you two relax. Unless you want us both to stay here—”

“A movie and ice cream sound fun,” Kurt said quickly. He’d be lying if he said seeing Blaine lying on the bed like that damp and in only a towel wasn’t doing things to him down south… “Thank you. What’re you two going to see?”

“Let’s see X-Men again!” Mikey shouted, moving his hips and sliding back and forth across the living room. “Please?”

Cooper laughed at Kurt before paying attention to the game again. “You gotta beat me first.”

“I’m winning,” Mikey answered casually. Diesel stared at Kurt placing a piece of garlic bread on the plate before going to warm it up. He smiled down at the huge dog and shook his head at how much he’d grown since his father bought him. “I’m not giving you any ‘ghetti, Diesel.” He got the puppy dog eyes and continued to shake his head no, though he did blow a kiss.

“Aw man,” Cooper bent over, out of breath. “Mikey kicked my butt.”

Kurt cheered and jumped up and down a couple times. He watched Mikey stand up on the couch and take a couple bows before suavely combing his fingers through his blond afro.

“That was all for you, cutie.”

Kurt winked and laughed. “I believe I owe you a couple kisses…”

“I believe you do.”

Cooper shook his head as he grabbed his wallet and keys. “Make it quick, munchkin. I want to have you back in the house by midnight.”

Mikey jumped down from the couch and Cooper picked up his phone to call his girlfriend. “I’m going to see if Jasmine can join us. Get ready, ok?”

Mikey nodded. “Can I bring Iron Bear?”

Cooper smiled. “Of course.”

Kurt stopped the microwave before walking into the living room and picking his little friend up. He kissed each cheek and gave him a high five. “You’re my hero.”

Mikey blushed.

“Do you need me to help you tie your shoes?”

“I can do it,” Mikey told him. Kurt smiled and put him down before going to get Blaine’s food and an orange flavored Gatorade.

“Both of you have fun and make sure your cousin behaves, ok?”

Mikey nodded as he reached underneath the coffee table for his Adidas. “I will!”

 Kurt smiled at him and whispered a thank you to Cooper when he came back inside. He went upstairs and returned to his boyfriend’s bedroom, smiling when he noticed Blaine had rolled over onto his back now.

“Hey there. Your brother is taking Mikey out for a couple hours.”

“He is?” Blaine asked, sitting up a bit. He thanked his boyfriend for the plate as he accepted it. “You even got me a Yoplait?”

Kurt laughed. “What makes you think that’s for you?”

Blaine smirked. “I’m not too exhausted to kick your sexy ass. Why’d you take the hat off? I liked it.”

Kurt smiled as he watched his boyfriend start to eat. “Did you? I don’t know.”

Blaine blew off another bite and then put it in his mouth. He looked at Kurt as the teen pulled off his red t-shirt. “You looked cute in it.”

Kurt smirked. “Cute?”

Blaine nodded. “Maybe a wee bit hot.”

Kurt walked back over to the dresser and put it on. “Just a wee bit?” He was left in his yoga shorts and the cap, and Kurt could see him staring through the reflection of the mirror. Blaine’s eyes were on his hip piercings. He smiled and turned around to face him.

“You really like them, huh?”

Blaine blushed when he was caught looking before he forked at a meatball. “They’re sexy. I like them, yeah.”

Kurt smiled and walked over. “What do you want to do tonight while the boys are out?”

Blaine chewed his food carefully. He had a laundry list of an answer for that but they didn’t own the sex toys or the time necessary. “A m-massage does sound nice.”

Kurt hummed and slid closer. He looked down at the slit in the towel and started to rub up Blaine’s thigh. “I’d love to give you one. Nice and slow. Full body. You know Santana gave me massage oils for my birthday, remember?”

Blaine nodded. “We have a couple bottles here, right?”

Kurt smiled. “We do.” He trailed his hand higher. “I can warm them now while you eat.”

Blaine took another large bite before putting the plate back down on his tray. “I think I’m not that hungry anymore. I can finish this up later.”

Kurt laughed as he stood up. “Finish eating, baby. And drink something, too. Your uncle is more than likely going to give you a lot to do this weekend as well.”

Blaine sat back in his towel, watching as Kurt walked through his room. Kurt bent over and his ass in those yoga shorts looked so pretty. Blaine took a deep breath, ignoring the tent in his towel as Kurt picked up a couple bottles from inside some of the boxes near his boyfriend’s closet. “Hm. This pineapple one smells good…”

Blaine licked his lips. Kurt smiled at him and turned around, and Blaine’s eyes slowly went down his chest and to the piercings as he walked over. “I’ll be right back. Give me a kiss before I go.”

Blaine nodded and Kurt turned the cap backwards, biting his boyfriend’s bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. He pulled away just before Blaine moaned and motioned out of the room. “Eat a little more for me. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Blaine watched him leave. He looked down at his cock standing tall against the towel and shook his head before picking up the plate. It was embarrassing how quick he ate his food. It was almost as if the spirit of Jeff had taken him over. Blaine chewed the last of his vegetables and put the plate back down before opening his Gatorade. He checked the time. Hopefully Cooper wouldn’t be back with Mikey until around 11:30. He made note to text him just in case.

Blaine snuck down the hall to his mom’s room. She was still asleep on her side; _The Golden Girls_ playing softly on her television. Blaine closed the door and went back to his room, putting the tray aside on his sofa next to his guitar and books, then fixing his bed a little. He didn’t know why because they’d no doubt be messing it up in a matter of minutes, but he did it anyway.

**From Nick:**

**We’ve boarded and we’re moving safely. My boyfriend is watching a movie while trying not to freak out. David says he loves you and he’ll see you Sunday. Be good, you hear? And get some rest. You looked so exhausted, man. Love you.**

Blaine read the message and sat down on the bed to reply.

…

**From Blaine:**

**I don’t know if I’ll be good tonight... xD. Travel safely. I love you too, and I love Jeff, and I love David. Kiss him for me. Send me a text when you guys land.**

Nick smiled at the message. He considered kissing David for Blaine but the boy was asleep across the aisle. The last thing he wanted was for David to wake up while he was hovering over him; lips on his cheek. He’d definitely get kicked in the nuts. Nick looked at Jeff after pocketing his phone.

“Are you ok, blondie?”

Jeff nodded. He focused on the movie playing instead of the fact that they were flying. “I’m great because I’m with you.”

Nick laughed and put his hand on Jeff’s thigh. “You’re a cornball and I love it.”

 _I love you,_ Jeff thought. He cleared his throat instead and leant his head against his boyfriend’s. “You better. So, take my mind off of… _this._ What’re we doing when we land? I want to walk around Broadway. Maybe try to see what gay bars are open.”

Nick chuckled. “Oh please, Jeffrey. Like they’d let us in.”

He laughed. “You never know. We’re cute.”

Nick turned to face him and smiled. He closed his eyes when Jeff leant in close, and met him halfway to kiss him back— their lips moving easily and soft to the touch. Jeff pulled back first and took a deep breath.

“Every time you do that, I feel a little bit better.”

Nick looked him in the eyes. Jeff smiled at him. “Maybe I should do it again, then.”

“Yeah. Maybe you should, shorty.”

Nick stared a bit longer before closing the distance. They pressed their mouths against one another’s and Jeff trailed his hand down Nick’s chest, tangling it in his shirt. They breathed into it and Nick parted his lips when Jeff’s tongue wanted to touch his own. They moved closer until they heard someone walk by, and each pulled away. It was the stewardess, but she didn’t seem to be fazed.

Jeff smiled, almost blushing. He sat back in his seat and stared at the movie screen. Nick hadn’t noticed how high his hand had gotten in his boyfriend’s lap, but he stared down at it as he moved it higher. Jeff looked down and bit his lip. He watched as Nick popped his button and undid the zipper a little before slowly sliding his hand inside.

“May I?”

Jeff slid his pillow from beneath his head and put it in his lap as he nodded. He stared up at the movie and Nick only continued to stare at him as he slid his hand into the boy’s boxers. Jeff’s breathing caught at the feeling; Nick’s hand was warm but confident, and it felt great as he touched him. Nick slowly began to stroke him until Jeff’s eyes rolled back. He looked up at the lights. “God.”

Nick continued to watch him as he jerked from the base higher; his thumb pressing against the vein. Jeff was growing harder in his hand. He smiled at the small hip thrusts the boy gave. “Should I go faster or is this okay?” he asked softly.

Jeff shook his head no. “J-Just like this…”

Nick smiled and looked up at the screen too. He bit his lip and continued to slowly stroke Jeff as they watched the film, slow enough to feel every inch but firm enough to make Jeff’s hips snap into it. When his boyfriend’s hand snuck into his track pants, he let his eyes drift closed and thrust into it, too. “Baby…”

…

“You can take the towel off, baby,” Kurt whispered. He had the door locked, music playing softly in case they were to get vocal, and the warm massage oil next to him. “Unless you want me to take it off for you?”

Blaine nodded as he lay on his chest. _Please don’t cum before this is over,_ he thought to himself. “Yeah. Please?”

Kurt smiled and lowered the towel from his boyfriend’s waist. He bit his lip at the sight of Blaine’s ass as he thought about kissing every inch of the skin. “I bet you’re as tight as the day I first fucked you. You always are…”

Blaine rested his chin on his folded arms. “I’d love for you to find out.”

Kurt tossed the towel away and sat down on his boyfriend’s thighs. He pulled off the ring Blaine gave him and put it on Blaine’s hand instead. “Maybe I will in a little while.”

Blaine took a deep breath. “I hope so,” he said mostly to himself.

Kurt picked up the massage oil and dripped it along Blaine’s tanned back. Blaine closed his eyes at the feeling. He’d barely been touched and already tension was disappearing, just being around Kurt. A couple seconds later, he had gentle hands rubbing up and down his back in diagonals, meeting at the base of his spine and pressing in. He felt the tension leaving every time that Kurt smoothly rubbed across his back bones and shoulders, and he relaxed tenfold when his boyfriend rubbed circles in his neck. “That feel so freaking good, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled. He rubbed over Blaine’s ribs and down to the small of his waist, moving in small patterns on his lower back. “Is it ok if I talk to you? It won’t be anything stressful, I promise.”

Blaine quickly nodded. He bit his lip as Kurt’s hands returned to his shoulders and the teen started to kiss the back of his neck. Words couldn’t explain how good it felt. “Your voice is the least stressful thing. If anything it’ll help me feel better.” Blaine groaned, biting his lip. “I’ll listen to whatever is on your mind, just do not stop doing _that_.”

Kurt smiled and sat back up. He spent another few minutes working out kinks in his boyfriend’s shoulders and lower back before saying a word. Blaine had practically melted at his touch and Kurt thought to himself that he should do this more often. It’d keep his hard working boyfriend relaxed. “I’ve been thinking about where I wanted to tattoo your name.”

Blaine opened his eyes at that. When he did so, Kurt’s hands slid over his ass and then back up, and Blaine subconsciously grinded against the mattress in response. He sighed. “Where have you been considering, and are you sure?”

Kurt smiled at him as he moved back down to Blaine’s ass. He massaged it softly, spreading the cheeks apart before sliding off of Blaine’s legs and rubbing the back of his thighs, as well. Blaine was beginning to moan. “My left hand ring finger… I wanted to write ‘Blaine’ on the inside of it. But high enough so that when we get our wedding bands one day it wouldn’t cover it.”

Blaine smiled at the thought. “I like that.” He bit his lip when Kurt spread his legs and poured more oil into his palm, rubbing up and down the inside of his thighs. “I like that too… I’m so horny right now…”

Kurt licked his lips as he looked at Blaine’s body. “I am too. I’ll be done in another ten minutes and we can fix that...”

Blaine nodded. Kurt’s hands went down his legs, over the back of his shins and then back up to the inside his thighs. He shivered at the contact and a little moan slipped from his wet lips. His boyfriend grabbed his ass and massaged, even slipping his finger down his crack and over the hole a couple times. It was hard not to beg at that point, but Blaine ended up biting down on his fist.

“I had a thought that your next tattoo would be on your neck,” Kurt continued.

Blaine rolled his hips into the bed, his eyes rolling back at how good it felt. “Oh? What would it be?”

“My lips,” Kurt answered. “On that spot I love to kiss. Right below your ear.”

Blaine groaned. He was about to reply when Kurt told him to roll over. Once he did as he was told, he could see Kurt smirking at the trail of precome that was going down the length of his dick. “That’s doable. Since we’re on the subject, I want us to get something that matches, too. Maybe we can get June 4th of this year just below our collarbone, in Roman numerals. Or…” Blaine trailed off when Kurt started to rub hot oil onto his own chest. He stared. “Fuck you’re so sexy.”

Kurt looked down at himself, hands circling his abs. He poured more into his palm for Blaine now and peeked down to his boyfriend. As he returned to his previous position sitting on top of Blaine’s thighs, he started to massage from his abdomen up to his shoulders. He smiled at the boy’s current tattoo and thumbed over his nipples. “You’re even sexier. I can’t believe I don’t do this more often. I love your body.”

Blaine bit his lip and watched Kurt’s hands on his chest. His cock was getting harder and harder. “What was I saying?”

Kurt laughed and it was the cutest thing ever. Blaine stared at him with the hat on low and hoped that Kurt wouldn’t take it off when he fucked him. “You said maybe our anniversary date in Roman numerals or…”

“Oh.” Blaine smiled. “Or matching Gemini tattoos. You could get one twin… _oh_ —” Blaine’s eyes rolled back as Kurt stroked him twice, slow and long, and then went back to rubbing over his abdomen with a smile on his face. “Shit,” Blaine said. “I-I could get the other…”

Kurt leant down and braced one hand on the bed as the other moved from Blaine’s hip up to his shoulder. He smiled and kissed along the boy’s jaw. “Both of those sound doable to me.”

Blaine nodded. Kurt wrapped his oil slicked hand around his cock again and Blaine inadvertently thrust up. “Shit, Kurt.”

“And you _look_ doable to me…”

Blaine smiled when Kurt pulled away from the kiss. “You know what would help me unwind?”

Kurt smiled down at him as he stroked Blaine a little slower. “I’m all ears, Anderson.”

Blaine licked his lips and looked up at the ceiling. Kurt had his entire body feeling as if he was in heaven. “If you just took your time and fucked me, nice and slow like this, I’d feel 100% in the morning.”

Kurt smiled at that answer. He sat up straight and rubbed some more of the oil into his chest. “You’re probably right…”

Blaine stared at him; hands beneath his curly hair.

“I’ve been thinking about doing you all day…”

“Yeah?” Blaine bit his lip. “Tell me more.”

Kurt looked into his eyes and licked his lips. “You wore those pants to school today and your ass…” he trailed off as he thought about it. “It looked perfect. You know I love being inside you.”

Blaine reached forward and lowered Kurt’s pants. Kurt smiled at him as he stood up and shimmied out of them. As they hit the floor, he grabbed his cock and stroked it slowly before pulling the hat low over his eyes. “Bend your legs, honey.”

Blaine bended them at the knee and slid forward, reaching out for a pillow to slide beneath him. He watched Kurt pick up the bottle of lube and squirt some into his hand. Blaine started to play with his cock. “Are you stretching me first?”

Kurt nodded as he approached.

Blaine smiled. “I’d rather you be rough, you know…”

Kurt got down on his knees in front of the bed and kissed the inside of his boyfriend’s thigh. “I know how you like it but you’re going to be training for the next few weeks. I’m not letting you convince me to fuck you harder than you need to be fucked.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. He was about to dispute when Kurt kissed his nuts and made him forget where the hell he was. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of two fingers sliding inside him, gently at first, and then fucking his hole a minute later. “I’d love to see you resist me beg for it harder in a little while.”

Kurt slid in a third finger and smiled. He knew it would be hard. “Shush. Just relax.” He began to stretch those three fingers as he moved in deeper and Blaine held his breath as he let his boyfriend prep him. “Just let me work, Mr. BMX.”

…

Nick stared out the window as they flew over the country. His cheeks were still red and he was still trembling a bit. Jeff smiled at him as he returned his pillow behind his head and leant back in the seat.

“You weren’t this shy a minute ago.”

Nick laughed a little before licking his lips. “I’m not being shy, Jeff.”

“Ok.” Jeff smiled and took his hand before closing his eyes. He exhaled hard and put one of his earbuds in. Nick turned away from the window and looked at him.

“I never really thanked you for coming along.”

Jeff’s opened his eyes to look at him. “Are you for real?”

Nick nodded, cradling the boy’s hand in his. “I am. Even if you were going to show up anyway I still want you to know I’m grateful.”

“Even if you were still with Naomi and I was still your dumb friend wondering ‘what if’, I’d still be right here by your side.” Jeff moved over and kissed him on the lips. “You have to know that...”

“I know and that’s why I’m thanking you, I guess. Not sure what I did to deserve it.”

Jeff sat back and paused his music.

“We never really talked about it, you know. I mean in depth.”

Jeff looked at him. “About…?”

“How you feel about me having Brooklyn… I assume if we stay together you know that we’re going to have to deal with Ashleigh and whatever guy she’s with… I can’t explain it.”

“You’re saying that because Brooklyn is a part of your life, so is her mother and whoever she dates,” Jeff said calmly. “I don’t care about that. I have respect for your baby mama as long as she respects that you’re Brook’s dad, and that I’m with you.” Jeff winced at the turbulence, squeezing Nick’s hand tighter. “As long as that happens, you have nothing to worry about.”

Nick rubbed his boyfriend’s hand with his thumb. “I appreciate that, blondie. What’re your ideas of your future family anyway?”

Jeff smiled and closed his eyes again. “Are you hinting that you’ve thought of a family with me or are you just curious?”

“Do I have to hint?” Nick looked at him. “You should know I’ve thought of it. Unless you think I think we’re just messing around and are a joke otherwise…”

“Will you two shut up?” David said from across the aisle. Jeff opened his eyes and looked over at his friend, smiling.

“Go back to sleep, D.”

“I was trying to, thank you very much.”

Nick laughed. “Just answer the question.”

“I don’t know,” Jeff shrugged. “I always thought about getting married one day. Didn’t dwell much on kids. I always considered myself a ‘fun uncle’.”

They looked up at the screen and Nick shook his head. “Fun uncle probably won’t cut it…”

“I just never thought I’d be a dad anytime soon so I didn’t think about it much, that’s all. Victoria knew that and she was cool with it. ” Jeff turned his head and met Nick’s eyes. “What about you?”

Nick shrugged a little. “I wanted to be married and have little ones running around. I want to be better than my father was, that’s for sure. I want to be better than he _is_.”

Jeff nodded and held his hand. “You will be, shorty. I have no doubt.”

Nick stared at him for a moment. He wondered just how ready his boyfriend would be when it came to dealing with him and his young daughter when they moved to New York in a matter of months, really. “Thank you.”

Jeff put the other earbud in Nick’s ear and moved in close, hitting play.

“You would be listening to some booty shaking music,” Nick teased. Jeff laughed, throwing his leg over his boyfriend’s thigh.

“If you’re talking shit about my music, that means we’re losing time that we could be making out…”

Nick smirked as he leaned in close. They kissed while smiling and he played in blond hair when they deepened it.

Flying wasn’t so bad.

…

Kurt looked at the time before he lined up at Blaine’s entrance. They still had plenty, and that was amazing.

He stared at Blaine’s parted lips and bit his own as he slowly pushed forward. Blaine’s ass was so tight like it always was—it felt like home. It was all his and it felt like the hole was made specifically for Kurt to fuck open at his leisure. He gripped the rider’s waist as he slid in slowly, taking deep breaths as he did so. The heat surrounding him was a lot to take in. Blaine looked up at him in the Raiders cap and watched Kurt’s muscles flex as he gripped him. He was certain Kurt had no idea how hot he looked right now—probably ever.

“I’m ready for you.”

Kurt smiled at him as he slowly slid out and back in. “I may have to turn you over in a minute. My legs are going weak already.”

Blaine smiled proudly and made his boyfriend laugh. He folded his arms beneath his head. “You’re the one who wanted to stand up— _oh fuck,_ ” Blaine’s smile dropped as his eyes rolled back. “Oh …there…”

Kurt held Blaine’s legs around him as he moved in, scratching down his thighs and hitting the spot again. “That’s why I wanted to stand up.” He stared at Blaine’s parted lips and thrust in again, adoring the tight heat. “Talk to me. Does it feel good?”

Blaine tried not to pull his hair as Kurt fucked his prostate over and over again. He was moving painfully slow too, but got deeper each time—so deep his legs were tightening around the slim, pale waist. “That’s exactly w-what I need baby.”

Kurt smiled at him. He slid Blaine back on the bed and moved in deeper, watching as Blaine took his dick. “Tell me what you want and I promise I’ll give it to you.”

“Kurt…” Blaine gasped, pulling at the covers when Kurt slid him forward and thrust in. “Fuck—Just don’t fucking stop baby, please…”

Kurt spread both of his legs by the ankles. He started to move in slower, and began missing where Blaine needed him altogether. Blaine groaned into his forearm before forcing his eyes open.

“Kurt… don’t play with me. I _need_ you.”

“How and where…? I want you to say it.”

Blaine leant up on his elbows; abdomen muscles clenching. His cock lay hard against his thigh. “Faster and deeper. It’s yours, Kurt. Fuck me like you know it’s yours.”

Kurt bit his lip, and the image of him with the hat low over his eyes and that sexy smirk on his face broke Blaine. When he bent over Blaine and propped both hands on either side of him, thrusting in hard and making the clapping noise as Blaine’s ass hit his hips, Kurt promised he’d give him just what he wanted.

He fucked him like he was his, because he was.

Blaine complained when Kurt slapped his hand away from his cock. He wanted to cum _right now._ “Kurt…”

“Hold on,” Kurt told him, hitting his spot over and over and drawing closer to his orgasm. “I’m… _fuck_ , say my name again.”

Blaine stared at Kurt’s lips and smiled as he was fucked. The bedsprings creaked and items on his night table tremored. He pulled at the bill of the cap so that his boyfriend was right above him. “It’s all yours, Kurt…” They stopped for a moment to kiss—Blaine lifting the hat a bit and Kurt pulling away after sucking on his boyfriend’s tongue. Blaine licked his lips as Kurt started to move faster—a sign that he was close. It was hard for Blaine to think straight but he moaned a bit and got it out. “K-Kurt…. Fuck me, Kurt—”

“Shit,” Kurt squeezed Blaine’s ass as he slid in and out. He felt the coiling in his gut and pulled out quickly, jerking off against his boyfriend’s thigh and moaning Blaine’s name. He struggled for air as his body started to shake and Blaine smiled, watching him stroke himself to completion.

Fucking. Hot.

“I… know this was supposed to be for you. I didn’t forget.”

Blaine laughed as he looked down at his neglected cock. “You sure?”

Kurt smirked and took a few quick breaths. “Yes I’m sure. I just needed to…” he played in the cum on his boyfriend’s thigh and smiled. “I told you I’d been thinking about you all day. I got selfish.”

Blaine licked his lips and lay back down. He watched Kurt take the pillow from beneath his hips and lifted his head as he put it under there instead. “What’re you doing?”

Kurt smiled as he started to rub Blaine’s chest again. “I’m going to kiss your cock, maybe suck the head a little bit, and then I’m going to ride you.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide as Kurt lowered his head in between his legs. He watched his boyfriend start to kiss his length of his cock and cursed to himself as he sucked around the tip of it. Kurt’s phone began to ring and Blaine literally told it to shut up, making Kurt laugh before the boy licked up and down the shaft. First he did it in circles, then in long swipes, and finally in teasing zigzags.

“Focus on my tongue. Ignore everything else. Ok, daddy?”

Blaine nodded hard. Kurt sat up and crawled over his body. He started to finger himself once he had lube on his hands and Kurt stared at Blaine staring back.

“Would you rather cum inside me or should I swallow?”

Blaine watched Kurt riding his fingers and looked back up at him. Kurt tipped the hat up a little and smiled.

“An answer tonight would be appreciated.”

“Uh.” Blaine licked his lips and looked at Kurt’s cock soft against his thigh. “I-Inside you.”

“Alright,” Kurt settled over Blaine’s cock and slid down. He bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling. Blaine held onto the edge of his bed. He was about to tell Kurt to stretch some more when the boy forced himself all the way down the length of his dick. Blaine cursed aloud over the sound of the music playing and threw his head back, and Kurt moaned right along with him. “Fuck, oh _yes_ …” he smiled and played with his nipples. “I can’t wait to feel you tomorrow…”

Blaine took deep breaths. If he didn’t, he was afraid he’d die. This would be an awkward death to explain to their families. Kurt dragged his hands up his chest and pulled at the brim of his cap. He pulled it low over his eyes again and smiled down at Blaine as he danced on top of him, grinding his ass slowly as he rode the thick cock. Blaine reached for his waist and stared at the boy’s hip piercings as he squeezed Kurt’s ass, controlling the way he bounced as he rode him. “You are the sexiest thing I’ll ever lay eyes on. You’re so beautiful.”

Kurt bit his lip, still smiling. He bounced up and down until Blaine made contact with that familiar spot, starting to ride faster. “Do you love me, daddy?”

“Fuck,” Blaine’s leg started to cramp as he struggled not to thrust up. “Fucking fuck. I love you more than l-life. You know that— oh shit.”

Kurt continued to hold the brim of the hat as he worked his ass back. “I love you too. I love riding you.”

Blaine smacked his ass and watched Kurt for a reaction. It earned him an encouraging smirk, and Kurt lowered his hands to Blaine’s biceps and clutched them as he worked his hips. “I could ride you all night, daddy.”

Blaine shook his head. “I-I don’t think I can last all night.”

Kurt stopped to giggle, but the sound turned into a long string of moans when Blaine thrust up twice. “Shit…”

“You’re so tight, love…”

“You’re so big,” Kurt answered, turning the cap around and planting himself firmly by holding onto Blaine’s chest. He smiled down at his name tattooed there. “I love you, Blaine. I love how you fuck me—how you own me.”

Blaine took a deep breath as Kurt continued to ride him. He watched the boy sliding up and down his dick and shook his head. It was beginning to be too much. “Kurt…”

Kurt worked his ass over Blaine’s cock as if he was a dancer. He had sweat running from his sideburns and dripping down onto his boyfriend’s abs. Blaine’s thumbs ran over the piercings as he worked his hips up, hitting Kurt’s spot.

“Yes, daddy?”

Blaine smiled. “Fuck. You’re going to make me kick my little cousin out later on for round three, aren’t you?”

Kurt laugh-moan-whined. “Mm… We can go down to the c-couch i-if it comes to … that. Damn daddy, do that again.”

Blaine thrust up once more and closed his eyes as Kurt took his time riding him. “I’m going to cum….”

Kurt brushed over his nipples as he bounced a little faster, then slowed down again. “Cum for me, daddy. Please?”

Blaine broke at the ‘please’. He dug his nails into Kurt’s waist like always and thrust up ten more times without stopping before his legs began to shake. He reached his climax with the most emphatic song of Kurt’s name he’d ever sung. He climaxed _hard._ Shit went black. He thought he couldn’t breathe. The music went silent. Kurt kept dancing on top of him and all Blaine could hear were his soft moans. That was the only thing worth hearing right about now. He collapsed against the bed and took a few, long breaths. Slowly, things started to restore to normal.

Kurt leaned over and kissed him. He didn’t pull off yet, too busy sliding his tongue between Blaine’s accepting lips. They stayed like that for a while, kissing softly and sweetly and sharing each other’s space until Kurt’s mouth was tired. His ass and thighs were sore, anyway.

“Why don’t we own a plug?”

Blaine opened his eyes and stared up at his boyfriend. He watched Kurt remove the cap from his head and toss it over to the couch. “I don’t know. We need lots of things. A cock ring, too.”

Kurt smiled. “And handcuffs…”

“For you,” Blaine said quickly. He smiled when Kurt laughed. “I’m not letting you restrain me. I don’t trust you.”

Kurt laughed. “Well fuck you too.”

Blaine rolled them over and kissed Kurt’s cheek slowly as he pulled out. “I love you, amore. You’re my world. You know that?”

Kurt blushed and nodded. “I love you too, handsome. You’re fucking everything.” He giggled at his boyfriend pinching his side. “For always.”

Blaine slowly kissed his lips. They moaned before pulling away and stayed like that, forehead to forehead. Blaine knew he’d spend the rest of his life wondering what he did to deserve Kurt Hummel. He didn’t know if he was worthy.

“Thank you for the massage and for making sure I feel better. You always make my days a thousand times better.”

Kurt smiled as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s muscular shoulders. “Even when I’m being a naggy, pestering troll?”

Blaine nodded. “Even then.”

Kurt laughed and Blaine kissed his bottom lip.

“I’m going to get a damp cloth and when I come back, we can share that Yoplait.”

“You’re so beautiful,” Kurt said dramatically. “I’ll put on Netflix. Hurry back. And check on your mom.”

Blaine smiled at him as he pulled on a pair of boxer-briefs and then shorts. “We need to talk about how you’re trying to brainwash my little sister into being a Broadway Star when I keep telling you she’ll be the first girl BMX rider to win in all her divisions.”

Kurt made a face and shook his head no. “Just… no. No.”

Blaine laughed and turned away. He quickly jogged out of the room in pursuit of the bathroom and hurried to get a damp cloth. After he’d wiped his abdomen off and checked on his mom, he went back towards his bedroom. When he returned, Kurt had the remote pointed at the large screen TV and the music silenced. Blaine smiled and locked the door behind them once more.

“We should watch something rated R because once Mikey gets back it’ll be all Nickelodeon slash Cartoon Network slash Disney Channel stuff.”

Blaine smiled and walked over to him. “Have I told you I love you lately?”

Kurt nodded. “Maybe a minute ago, but I wouldn’t be opposed to hearing it again if you have another left in you.”

Blaine smirked when Kurt jumped at the cold temperature of the rag. He got the bitch face and had to dodge the pillow his boyfriend tossed. “Sorry! It’s a long walk from the bathroom.”

“You used cold water on purpose,” Kurt accused.

“I couldn’t wait to get back to you.”

His boyfriend smiled. “I love that I fell in love with the corniest, cheesiest, most romantic 17 year-old on this earth.”

Blaine smiled. “That’s hardly true.”

“I love you, Blaine Anderson.”

“And I love you, my handsome prince.”

“See what I mean?”

Blaine laughed and sat down next to him. “Open the Yoplait and let’s get this party started.”

Kurt snorted and did as requested. “So, less than a week until your uncle’s honorary dinner. We’ll be walking the red carpet. How excited are we?”

Blaine pulled Kurt into him. “I don’t know about you, but I’m _pumped._ It’s going to be a lot of fun, babe.”

Kurt smiled. “It’s on Thursday. I gotta say I’m confused about why you aren’t a tad bit nervous to be showing me off to the press.”

Blaine fed Kurt a little bit of the yogurt before kissing him. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. I don’t give a crap about people who have a problem with us. I have nothing to hide, either. You’re my life.”

Kurt fed Blaine a little and smiled as the boy seductively tongued the spoon and winked. “I don’t think you know how much you mean to me, Blaine.”

Blaine leant in to kiss him again. “Ditto, Kurt.”

…

 _Boom Clap_  
The sound of my heart  
The beat goes on and on and on and on and  
Boom Clap  
You make me feel good  
Come on to me come on to me now  
Boom Clap  
The sound of my heart  
The beat goes on and on and—

Kurt inhaled as he stretched sleepily. Blaine rolled on top of him to reach the alarm clock and turn it off. He forced himself to open his eyes and look up at his boyfriend, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light entering his bedroom. “Mm. What time is it?”

Blaine stretched before dropping his head to Kurt’s chest. That was hands down the best sleep he’d gotten in quite some time. He tiredly moved between his boyfriend’s legs, burying his face in Kurt’s neck and mumbling an answer as the boy started to play in his curls. “Six AM.”

Kurt smiled as he stroked through the long curls. Blaine was such a puppy at times. “Ok. Why in the hell is your alarm going off at 6 on a Saturday.”

Blaine moved in closer as Kurt cuddled him. “I need to begin training soon.”

Kurt groaned, stretching a little more. He turned to look at the clock and shook his head. “This early, baby? You’ve got all of Saturday…”

Blaine didn’t answer. It was probably because he was falling back to sleep. Kurt watched his hand as it untangled the boy’s dark curls. He smiled at the tan line on his ring finger.

“Give me my ring back.”

“Mm,” Blaine groaned, picking his head up and looking at his boyfriend. “Let’s go back to sleep.”

“I thought you needed to get up, lovie?” Kurt asked softly. He smiled at the kisses he received across his chin and lips a few seconds later. “Wait until I brush my teeth— _mmph_ —” Kurt laughed, pulling back and smiling at Blaine. “Seriously. I don’t want to mess up your routine, B.”

Blaine lay back down and kissed his boyfriend’s chest. “I know. I’ll get up in a minute. You feel really good.”

“Now I know why you’re so tired, though.” Kurt turned and looked at the clock. “Your day is starting super early, baby.”

Blaine hummed and wrapped his arms around him a bit tighter. Kurt felt so warm. He could probably stay in this spot for the entire day. “I’m not used to the whole competing during school thing but I’m working on it.”

Kurt rubbed at his shoulders. “Maybe I can get up with you? We can work out together. That cheesecake from the bakery by Pace has been going straight to my thighs.”

Blaine smiled and shook his head no. “I want you to get some rest, baby.”

“Good morning!”

Kurt and Blaine both turned to the source of the sound and were shocked to see Mikey there with his _Iron Bear_ and a very awake smile on his face. Kurt’s eyes went wide and he smiled back.

Oh yeah. Mikey definitely spent the night with them watching a _SpongeBob Square Pants_ marathon. How could he forget?

“Heeyyy cutie!” Kurt nudged at his boyfriend to roll from on top of him and Blaine sighed as he moved over. “Did we wake you?”

Mikey shook his head no. “The alarm did.”

Blaine dragged a hand down his face. “Go back to sleep, munchkin. We’ll do something fun later so you’ll want to be well rested, ok?” He yawned after talking and landed on top of his little cousin, kissing his forehead. “Go to sleep.”

Kurt smiled and sat up. “Any requests for breakfast?”

Blaine smiled at him. “Kurt, you don’t have to get up. Get some rest. Stay with Mikey.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and got out of bed. “I guess I’ll surprise you then.”

Blaine watched his boyfriend walk off. Kurt was wearing one of his Los Angeles Lakers shirts and a dark pair of pajama pants. He smiled after a kiss was blown his way and the door was closed. Mikey pulled his Build-a-Bear closer to him and looked at his cousin.

“Mikey,” Blaine began. “If your future guy or girl offers to make you breakfast the morning after and wakes up early so that you don’t have to be alone, you hold on to him or her. Got it?”

Mikey stared at him, wide eyed and curious. “The morning after _what_?”

Blaine rolled off of him and got comfortable in bed. “Don’t worry about that. That’s a conversation for later. Just take heed of what I’m saying.”

Mikey looked into Blaine’s eyes. “Can you repeat it?”

Blaine laughed. “Of course, fart face. When you have someone special and they get up the next morning—early on a _Saturday_ to make you breakfast and spend time with you, then that is the most obvious sign that they care for you. Now go back to sleep.”

Mikey nodded ok and tried to close his eyes. “Make sure Kurtie saves me some food.”

Blaine laughed. “Alright greedy.”

…

The surprise was Belgian waffles with fresh berries and bacon. Blaine took his time eating while trying to convince Kurt he didn’t need to go out with him. It wasn’t working, though. Kurt was just as stubborn if not more so.

“Why can’t I come?”

Blaine smiled as he fed Kurt a strawberry. He watched juice run across his lips and sighed happily as Kurt licked it up. Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine’s one track mind and smiled “Pay attention.”

“I never said you couldn’t come. I just don’t understand why you’d want to. I don’t even want to go.” Blaine rubbed the fruit against Kurt’s bottom lip; eyes glued to Kurt’s tongue as he started to suck the tip of the berry. “Yeah… I’d much rather stay in bed with you.”

Kurt smiled as he moved over and took a seat on his lap. He slid the ring from Blaine’s hand and returned it to his own as Blaine ate the next bite. “Maybe I want to spend time with you, and maybe if we work out together it won’t be such a drag.”

Blaine nodded. “Maybe. Or, maybe I’m going to think about kissing you the entire time and I’ll get nothing done…”

“I’ll make sure you do,” Kurt answered. He kissed him slowly and licked his lips at the sweet taste from the berries. “Finish eating. I’m going to shower and find something to put on.”

Blaine nodded as his boyfriend stood up. He smiled. “Wear something comfortable.”

“Uh huh.”

Blaine smiled as he watched him walk away. “And you’re lucky my cousin was in the room because I was totally going to have you screaming this morning…”

“Eat your food.”

Blaine laughed and went back to his breakfast.

…

Justin stared up at the ceiling of his hotel room—the hotel room he happened to share with his best friend. He had just landed in New York that morning and wasn’t as beat from his flight as Nick, Jeff, and David were. They’d come all the way from California while he was in Ohio. The distance was a lot shorter. Even with that, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Nick and Jeff had each other and they were probably in their hotel room smooching or doing boyfriend things. David was on the phone with the girl he liked… Dani. She was cool but she wasn’t _Justin._ And Quinn was asleep so Justin couldn’t be all lovey dovey like they were being. Plus his friends were giving him the excuse that they didn’t want to go out because it was _too early_. They were such dweebs.

“Kurt and Blaine would go out with me if they came,” Justin mumbled beneath his breath. It was still loud enough for David to hear. “We’d all go have fun and leave _you losers_ here.”

David pulled the phone away from his ear and rolled over on the hotel bed. He smirked at Justin. “Kurt and Blaine would definitely be doing it right now if they were here. A hotel room to themselves? Please.”

Justin turned away from him and faced the wall.

“I’ll call you back, beautiful,” David said into the phone. He smiled and started to laugh and Justin rolled his eyes. “Ok. Get some more sleep. Bye.”

“ _Get some more sleep,_ ” Justin mimicked. “ _Bye._ ”

“You’re a hater.”

Justin sat up on the bed and looked across the room at his best friend. “I’m just saying I haven’t seen you assholes in a while. Everyone is all in love and I’m in New York ready to go out and see some shit.”

David smiled. “You do know you spend most of your time in Ohio for a chick, right? Don’t judge us…”

Justin laughed. “Kurt’s friends are cool and Quinn and I are getting serious. But when I’m with you guys she gives me space.” He trailed off. “And she isn’t just a _chick_.”

David stood up and yawned.

“Put some pants on, David. Jesus.”

“I’ll go somewhere with you if you stop being so cranky. Call Nick and Jeff and see if they’re hungry.”

Justin shook his head. “I tried. I’m not getting an answer. They’re rude little shits.”

David smiled as he walked over to his backpack. “Pretty much.”

_Knock. Knock._

Justin jumped off of the bed and ran through the hotel room. He slid to a stop in front of the door and looked through the peep hole. Jeff stood there fully dressed and Justin swung the door open, obviously shocked by that.

“Hey. Can’t answer your phone, huh?”

Jeff smiled and walked in. “It was turned off. Sorry, Jus.”

“I don’t want your ‘sorry’, Jeff. I want to be able to trust you.”

“He’s on his period,” David said, pulling a pair of jeans on. “What’s up? We’re about to leave for food. Where’s Nick?”

“On the phone with his mom. I gave them some space.” Jeff leant against the wall and watched David put on a Henley. “There’s a diner two blocks over. Bunch of fast food places around. You know I scoped the place.”

Justin went over to his sneakers and glanced back at his friend. “You ok?”

Jeff nodded. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Justin and David shared a quick look, and Jeff smiled when he noticed.

“I’m fine, guys. Don’t do that.”

David nodded and walked forward, fastening his belt. “We’re just checking. You can talk to us if need be.”

“I’m good,” Jeff repeated. He pulled a lollipop out his pocket and removed the wrapper, shoving it into his mouth. Justin walked over and tucked his wallet in his back pocket.

“Alright then. Let’s go get your boyfriend.”

Jeff took a deep breath and walked out with him. They waited in the hall for pretty boy David and sarcastically cheered when he’d finally come out.

David led the way. “Fuck you both.”

…

Kurt took his time and bent over at the waist as he stretched. He smiled to himself as he touched each foot, knowing that Blaine was watching from behind him. The “ _Wow”_ he heard in response was confirmation enough.

He sat down on the pavement and turned to look at his boyfriend. Blaine’s eyes were locked on him as he did his torso stretching. He licked his lips as Kurt spread his legs and touched his right Adidas shoe.

“You like what you see, Mr. BMX?”

Blaine nodded a bit. “I love what I see.”

Kurt bit his lip and did the same stretch on the other leg. “Care to offer me some help?”

Blaine walked over after grabbing his ankles and stretching out his legs. He jumped up and down a couple times to get loose before sitting down across from Kurt on the track. “How can I help?”

Kurt smiled at him as he scooted forward and placed both of his legs over Blaine’s. “I just need a little assistance in this area,” he said, rubbing up and down his thighs. Blaine stared and nodded. “I’ll lay back. I need you to make my foot touch the ground beside my head.”

Blaine watched Kurt put his hood on before falling back against the pavement. He had his hoodie unzipped and no shirt on beneath it which meant that they were matching. Kurt smiled at him as he stretched his arms out on both sides of him. “C’mon.”

“Ok,” Blaine said. He moved in close against his boyfriend’s body and held his left leg up in the air, slowly pushing it towards Kurt. Kurt’s leg bent easily. The boy bit his lip and closed his eyes as Blaine leant over him, effortlessly taking his ankle and pushing it all the way back to Kurt’s head. “My, you’re flexible.”

Kurt smiled and stared up at Blaine. “You should know that.”

Blaine swallowed as he thought about thrusting against his boyfriend’s ass. He really considered it. But, he told himself he’d focus. “This is why I wasn’t going to let you come. It’s 7 in the morning and we’re in the middle of the park with your legs in the air.”

Kurt laughed as Blaine dropped his leg and picked up the other one. “I don’t see the harm in this. You’re only helping me stretch, daddy.”

“Don’t start,” Blaine said with a smile. He bit his lip at the sound of Kurt’s laughter as he helped his boyfriend stretch, shaking his head at how much of a turn on it was. “I can’t stand you sometimes.”

“You love me.” Kurt watched Blaine stand up and remove his hoodie. He waited a moment before doing the same. “What do you want to do tonight? The guys are all in New York and everyone else will be at that dumb dance at the school tonight. The rest of Long Beach will be here at your old school for Homecoming, right?”

Blaine took Kurt’s sweater and put it on the bleachers with the rest of their things. “I’ve been meaning to ask you why we aren’t going to the dance tonight.”

Kurt looked over at him as he fixed the drawstring on his track pants. “For real? Do you even want to go to the Fall Dance? I know I don’t.”

“I guess that’s what I find weird,” Blaine said. Kurt stretched his legs and twisted at the waist as he listened. “This is one of those _Pace_ things I thought for sure you would be all over.”

Kurt smirked and started to jog off. “Then why didn’t you ask me?”

Blaine shrugged as he started jogging beside him. “I don’t know.”

“Because you didn’t want to go either.”

“Why don’t you want to go?” Blaine questioned.

Kurt sighed as they ran together around the track. “I used to like the idea of dances and dressing up and getting a limo and all of that. You can imagine me loving it right? I lived to play dress up as a kid.”

Blaine nodded.

Kurt hesitated. “…I don’t even want to say anything because you’re definitely going to be upset, baby.”

“Is this something that happened recently? Does it have anything to do with that asshole Liam?”

“Oh goodness,” Kurt laughed as they started to speed up. Blaine looked over at him, waiting for a reply. “No. Hell no. It goes back to Ohio. McKinley of course.”

Blaine was silent as he awaited the rest. Nobody else was on the track with them, and it was probably because they were at JFK High’s park, Blaine’s old school. If they’d gone to their local park, there’d be tons of people running already. Kurt was nervous about coming here because of homophobes but Blaine wasn’t going to let anything happen to him. C’mon now.

“When I was 15, I was elected Queen at one of the dances as a cruel joke organized by my peers. Dave Karofsky was King.”

Blaine smiled and shook his head as they continued to run. “Wow, Kurt. Please tell me you’re fucking kidding. Please tell me.”

Kurt shook his head. “I don’t care for dances much anymore because of it. I mean, I’d be willing to go to prom with you for sure. Senior prom I wouldn’t pass up for anything.” They turned, about to complete their first lap. “But all these in between dances—”

“You mean to tell me none of your friends did anything about that?”

Kurt could tell this was going to be a _thing._ “This was something I needed to deal with on my own.”

“No.” Blaine shook his head and continued, “You don’t need to deal with anything like that on your own.”

Kurt smiled. “Same thing I thought about you not telling me about Preliminaries on November 9th…”

“Oh gosh.” Blaine heard his boyfriend laughing as they started to speed up. “That’s entirely different Kurt and you know that. I’m being serious.”

“I’m sorry,” Kurt answered, still smiling. “You get way too serious about old shit which is why I try not to bring it up…”

Blaine shook his head again.

“Are you mad at me now?”

“No,” Blaine said. “I’m just mad I didn’t find you again sooner.”

Kurt felt the sweat starting to form over his chest and tried not to complain. Sweating wasn’t his thing. But, being with Blaine was. “Babe, I’m just happy that you found me again when you did. It could’ve been at 30. We could’ve had kids and horrible marriages.”

Blaine made a sad face. “Don’t even play like that.”

“Well,” Kurt inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep an even pace. “How many laps are we doing?”

“Don’t worry about that. You wanted to come so you’re going to be sweaty and icky by the time we get back home.”

Kurt nodded, keeping in time with his boyfriend who seemed perfectly fine. “Ok. Can we have shower sex?”

Blaine smiled at him. “Only if my mom goes out or something. She’s not cool like you’re dad. I’ll get grounded.”

Kurt scoffed. “ _Cool_ like my dad, he says.”

“He is. So you were asking what we’re going to do. I say we go to that dance.”

“No.”

“Well what about the Homecoming game here? I can show you off to the assholes here.”

“Definitely not,” Kurt said seriously.

Blaine smiled. “I can’t wait until Thursday when I’m showing you off on the red carpet and you can’t tell me _no_ because you’re afraid.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “We can take Mikey out somewhere.”

Blaine nodded. “Before his soccer practice. That sounds fun.”

Kurt smiled at the thought of being a soccer dad. “Yeah. What about our tattoos? Can people get two in a day? I want the Roman numerals and your name.”

Blaine hummed as they rounded the track once more. He went over to their water bottles and Kurt slowed down, watching as Blaine quickly got them and ran back over. “Speaking of your dad,” Kurt thanked him for the water and they took off as Blaine resumed, “what is he going to think about you having tattoos? You were on punishment for like two weeks for your piercings, remember?”

Kurt sighed. “I don’t know. I told him I was going to get something soon and he laughed for two minutes and then asked me to pass the mashed potatoes.”

Blaine laughed. “So are you just going to do it?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said obviously. “He can’t say I didn’t warm him.”

“You’re such a bad boy,” Blaine said, shaking his head. “Let’s make a bet. I feel like beating you in a race.”

Kurt laughed and turned to face him. He stopped running and mussed his sweaty hair. “What’s the bet?”

“If I win,” Blaine placed his hands on his waist and looked around, thinking. “Hm. If I win, you get ‘Mr. BMX’ tattooed on your lower back.”

Kurt laughed. “No. No way. If my dad saw that he’s killing the both of us.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “Fine. If I win, I get one of my fantasies fulfilled.”

Kurt licked his lips and looked around the track. He smiled. “What’s this fantasy?”

Blaine smiled and took a long drink from his water bottle. He rolled his neck and looked at Kurt. “I want to get freaky at school.”

Kurt laughed and turned away. “Oh my god.”

“If you win, you get whatever you want.”

Kurt paced back and forth.

“And don’t make me do your math homework or ask for Yoplait. Give me a challenge.”

“Hm,” he began stretching again and Blaine smirked. “Let’s see. If I win, you have to sing somewhere. In public.”

Blaine bit his lip at that and looked away. “You suck.”

Kurt smiled. “You did it once before at our audition and you were incredible. So what’s the big deal?”

Blaine shook his head. “You know I’m not—”

“I guess you better win,” Kurt said. They looked at each other for a moment and Kurt smirked before taking off down the track. Blaine smiled and shook his head as he ran after him.

“I can’t believe you’re such a fucking cheater.”

Kurt laughed at how large of a lead he had. He noticed the maintenance people walking in, probably going to get the field ready for the Homecoming game later. He sped up and even though he didn’t know how long this race would be and when they were going to stop, he set the guidelines. “First person around the track wins, by the way!”

Blaine started to slow down purposely. He smiled at the view. Kurt was a fast little shit, that was for sure, and his ass looked incredibly edible right now. He wondered how Kurt would taste bent over a desk at Pace. It was hard _not_ to get hard, but he ignored those thoughts and shook his head.

Kurt smirked as he started to speed up over the track. He could hear Blaine’s footsteps closing in and he started to run faster, looking back over his shoulder and cursing to himself at how fast he was. “You’re not winning this…”

Blaine smiled as he ran even faster. He was a couple feet behind Kurt who was slowing down at his point and he smirked as he caught up a few seconds later. “I thought you could beat me. I gave you a head start,” he said, slightly out of breath. “Well, you _took_ a head start, cheater.”

Kurt tried to run a bit faster when he saw the finish line. Blaine was taunting him at this point. “I hate you.”

Blaine laughed as he grabbed Kurt by the waist, tackling him over to the grass. They both stumbled down and rolled around a bit, struggling for breath. Kurt sprawled out on the grass and looked up at the sky. “Oh… my god… I can’t remember the last time I actually exercised.”

Blaine landed face down and smiled as his back raised and fell with each breath. “How’d you get so fast? I thought you said you were a kicker, not a running back.”

Kurt closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Why would you make me fall on the grass? I was going to win.”

“Ha.”

Kurt rolled over and looked around the empty park. “I was. And my ass is sore, too.”

Blaine smiled. “You have no chill.”

They sat there quietly for a while longer. Eventually, Blaine stood up and stretched. “I’m about to go win this. Be right back—“

“Oh no you don’t,” Kurt got up and laughed as Blaine took off, already a few yards from the finish line. “Cheater!”

Blaine jumped up and down and started to dance. He started it off with his Dougie and then started air humping, and by the time Kurt made it over to him, he was doing the Schmoney dance. Kurt laughed and kicked at him, totally missing.

“You’re no fair.”

Blaine pulled him close by the waist. “You know two could play that game. Don’t know why you try it.”

_At last,  
my love has come along…_

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I would’ve won fairly. That’s why you cheated. And you changed your ringtone to my song? That’s very adorable, honey bun.”

Blaine smiled. “So are you. It’s Cooper, hold on.”

Kurt nodded, sitting down on the grass and stretching his legs. Blaine watched Kurt do those stretches and bit his lip as he answered the phone. “Damn. I mean hello?”

“Blaine? How close are you?”

Blaine heard the alarm in his brother’s voice and his smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”

Kurt looked up at him.

“Are you close by? I’m about to drive mom to the hospital. She’s bleeding.”

Blaine froze and it was easy for Kurt to see how worried his boyfriend looked. He stood up and walked over to him. “Cooper—”

“I know it’s really easy to freak out right now Blaine but I need you to be strong, ok? She’s in a bit of pain and I’m getting her to the car now. Mikey is here waiting for Aunt Pam but I don’t want to leave him alone.”

“I’m on my way now,” Blaine told him. Cooper hung up and Kurt watched his boyfriend pocket his phone.

“Babe?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Blaine said in a panicked voice. Kurt quickly got to his feet when his boyfriend started to cry.

“Blaine, baby,” he wrapped his arms tight around him, “talk to me, please.”

Blaine tightened his hold on the boy’s lower back. “It’s my mom. Cooper’s rushing her to the ER now. He says she’s bleeding and… and…”

“Baby,” Kurt pulled away and wiped Blaine’s face. “I’m going to get our things. Stay here.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Blaine said, shaking his head no. Kurt felt his heart break as he pretended to be strong. He nodded and took his hand. “Alright, beautiful. It’s going to be ok, alright?”

Blaine was quiet. He dried his eyes and shook his head. “We gotta get back to Mikey.”

Kurt nodded and moved quicker. His heart was breaking little by little.

…

The taxi came to a stop on E 72nd Street. Nick thanked their driver and all of the guys got out. They looked around the Upper East Side neighborhood and Justin whistled when he laid eyes on the luxury apartment buildings.

“It looks like little Brooklyn will be raised with a silver spoon in her mouth…”

Jeff stepped up onto the curb, still looking up at the fancy building. “Not much of a surprise there. Her mother was too…”

Nick waited to see if David had any commentary to add to the situation, but the oldest only stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to look at him. “Are you ready? We’ll wait with you if you need a minute.”

Nick shook his head after taking a deep breath. His boyfriend offered him an encouraging smile and so did Justin and David. “I’m ready. It’s now or never.”

Jeff reached out and grabbed his hand. “Come on, pops. You’ve got a little girl in there waiting to meet her awesome, BMX racer of a dad.”

Justin smiled and led the way. “She’s gotta meet her cool, overprotective uncles, too.”

Nick laughed along with them, though there was no denying it was forced. He was still nervous about a lot of things, especially falling in love with this little girl and then having to leave. He tried his best to push all doubt and negative thoughts to the back of his mind as they entered the building.

The doorman didn’t give them a problem at all. He seemed to be expecting Nick—not the others so much—but he let them go up to the 7th floor and gave the Buchanans a warning call.

They stepped off of the elevator and Nick held onto Jeff’s hand tightly as the gang made their way to condo 71. David shook his head when Justin told him he had Quinn stored in his phone as ‘My Cinnamon Apple’ and laughed. They reached the door and turned back to look at Nick.

“You knock.”

Nick closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He gave a shaky smile to his friends and rang the bell twice before adding a couple knocks for good measure.

It was quiet at first, but after a moment a “Hold on!” could be heard from behind the door. Nick’s heart was hammering in his chest. That was definitely the voice of Ashleigh, the mother of his daughter, and on the other side of that door was his little girl. Justin got giddy and started clapping.

“We’re going to meet Brooklyn! This is so exciting.”

Nick nodded. Jeff smiled and pinched him in his side.

“Well don’t look so frightened, Nicholas,” Jeff teased. “You’ll scare her.”

Nick’s eyes went wide in horror. “Fuck. What if she’s seriously afraid of me?”

David dropped his head. “Dude, shut up.”

Jeff laughed at his boyfriend and shook his head.

The door was opened a second later and a beautiful blonde with green eyes smiled. Then her face dropped when she saw all four boys standing there. “Um. Did you bring all of Legacy with you, Nick?”

David smiled. “Well Blaine isn’t here but, yeah, pretty much.”

“Hey,” Nick said nervously. “I’m sorry I should’ve warned you the guys were coming. Moral support and all.”

Ashleigh smiled at him and opened the door wider to let them in. “A warning would’ve been splendid but the more, the merrier. Welcome.”

Inside was pretty much a palace as expected. Everything looked _too_ perfect. Justin walked in first and his mouth dropped as he glanced around.

“Jeesh.”

“You look good, Nick. Besides the fact that you look as if you’ll puke, you look good.” She smiled. “More mature.”

He smiled and shrugged. “I’ve been growing this stubble for five months now.”

She laughed and gestured for the rest of the guys to enter. “Leave your sneakers here at the door unless you want my mom to kill all of you.” She turned around and went towards the living room. “I’m going to put something on for you guys and then I’ll go get Brook. She fell asleep like an hour ago.”

Nick stepped in last and looked around the condo. As he toed out of his sneakers, he shook his head and wondered how much this place was worth. Ashleigh had always been the super-rich chick in town when she lived in Long Beach and she behaved as such— which was why she and Blaine never got along. Unless they were banging, of course. Justin turned into the true freeloader he was as he entered the living room behind her.

“Your TV is huge. Got any snacks?”

Ashleigh laughed and gestured to the kitchen. “I do. I’ll hook you guys up after I get Brook.”

David walked over after with his hands in the pockets of his sweater. “Thanks, Ash.”

“No problem.”

Jeff looked at Nick and smiled softly. “So far so good. Do you want to go sit down?”

Nick nodded and walked with him. They took their place on the sofa and got comfortable. Justin turned to ESPN and checked the score of a college football game playing.

“USC is up.”

David grunted.

Small talk continued, but Nick wasn’t part of it. His palms were sweaty and his feet were rapping against the hardwood floor. He was a mixture between excited and nervous and anxious and another indescribable feeling that made him a little tense. Jeff looked over at him and squeezed his hand.

“Deep breaths, shorty.”

Ashleigh returned to the room, cradling the four month old in her arms. Brooklyn’s eyes were blinking open and closed and she had one hand balled up in a fist. Ashleigh smiled down at her as she walked over to the sofa.

“Here she is.” 

Justin and David whipped their heads around first, followed by Jeff who smiled widely at the little brunette in her mother’s arms. Nick took a deep breath, and before long Ashleigh was standing in front of him with the little girl. He stared at her for a while and felt his heart beating against his ribcage.

“Brooklyn Esther Buchanan. All 15 pounds of her.”

“She’s beautiful!” David squealed, hugging Justin’s arm as Justin tried not to cry. Jeff looked at the little girl with adoring eyes as Nick smiled and started to laugh a little.

“Wow. Wow… she’s…”

“She’s got your nose, and your smile, and does that same ridiculous face you do when you’re thinking about something,” Ashleigh finished for him.

Nick stared at his sleeping daughter before looking up at Ashleigh. “What face?”

Jeff mimicked it perfectly and Ashleigh laughed.

“That one.”

Nick smiled.

“Would you like to hold her? She’s waking up,” Ashleigh sat down on the arm of the couch and kissed Brooklyn on her balled up hand. “If you guys go cleanup we can pass her down the line.”

Justin and David hopped up first and ran into the kitchen. Ashleigh smiled at them.

“They’re adorable.”

Nick couldn’t stop staring at Brooklyn. She really did look like him. It was weird. And she was starting to open her eyes. They were greener than Ashleigh’s. As she started to wake up, she fidgeted a little and made an annoyed face. Nick laughed.

“She’s perfect,” Jeff whispered, in awe of the little life before him. Ashleigh looked at him and smiled.

“Wake up at 4 in the morning because she wants to eat and play ‘how loud can I coo?’ and tell me that.”

Jeff laughed, and Nick offered a smile. “I’ve stared at the pictures you sent me every day and they just don’t do her justice,” he told her. “It’s incredible.”

Jeff smiled as he stood up and looked between the two. “I’m going to wash my hands. Come on, babe.”

Ashleigh looked at her baby’s father and raised an eyebrow. _Babe?_ she thought.

Nick nodded and stood up to follow. David and Justin were walking back into the room with cleaned hands and smiling as Ashleigh watched Nick and Jeff walk off. They looked at her and raised their eyebrow.

“Everything ok?” David questioned.

She nodded as Brooklyn started to fuss, adjusting the little girl in her arms. “Yeah… how long has that been going on?”

Justin turned around and saw the couple talking as they washed their hands. “Oh, Niff? They’ve been at it on and off for a while now but they just got serious a few months back.”

David took a seat and looked up at the TV. “It was surprising, but it wasn’t.”

She hummed acknowledgment before looking down at Brooklyn and smiling. “Hi baby girl!”

Nick walked back over with Jeff and Ashleigh laughed at the excitement in both of their eyes. It was good to see Nick not freaking out or pale like he looked when she opened the door. She moved aside and let them take their seats and Nick smiled when he got eye contact from his baby.

“Say ‘hi dad!’” Ashleigh handed the little girl over to Nick and smiled when the teen accepted her. She watched him awkwardly hold the girl in the air and smile, and it was such a new dad thing to do she couldn’t help the laugh. “Don’t worry, she has a fresh diaper on Nick. You can hold her.”

David laughed.

“Hi.” Nick sat her Brooklyn on his lap and could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s your father. I’m so happy to finally be meeting you, Brooklyn. You’re an angel.”

She looked away from him and down at the watch on his wrist, reaching for it. Nick smiled. He pulled her closer and held her with one arm and let her grip his thumb with the other. Jeff watched the two of them and took a couple pictures. “She loves you, shorty.”

Brooklyn smiled at him when he started to speak again. “You have so many people to meet,” he told her. “You’ve got a big family between your mom and me. We’ve got so many people that love you.”

Ashleigh smiled at them. “Whenever she fusses, I put on one of your BMX races. The one where you lose to David.”

David smiled and Justin laughed. Nick smirked at Ashleigh.

“Brooklyn loves that one.”

Brooklyn started to kick her feet and then got distracted by Jeff. He smiled at her and waved hello.

“That’s daddy’s idiot boyfriend,” Nick told her. “Isn’t he goofy looking?”

Brooklyn smiled and everyone laughed. Jeff made a funny face and Brooklyn loved it, still holding onto her dad’s thumb.

Ashleigh couldn’t help but smile. This was what she wanted for the both of them, especially Brooklyn. It wouldn’t be fair of her to keep Nick out of her daughter’s life and vice versa. “Can I trust you guys with her while I go get some snacks?”

Justin nodded. “I want to hold her next.”

“I’m next actually,” David argued. Ashleigh shook her head and smiled as she went towards the kitchen.

…

Later that day, Ashleigh had pulled Nick aside as he fed Brooklyn. The girl’s eyes were slowly closing as she helped her dad hold the bottle, and Nick was completely lost in the action. Ashleigh smiled at him.

“I’m happy you’re moving to New York after you’re done at Pace, Nick.”

Nick nodded. “Getting on that plane tomorrow is going to be so hard.” He kissed her forehead. “Just thinking of saying goodbye. It sucks.”

Ashleigh nodded. “It’s hard saying goodbye to her when I have to leave for school in the morning, so I know what you mean.”

Nick looked up at her. “Blaine told me you were seeing some asshole after he saw you two. Where is he?”

She rolled her green eyes and sat down on her bed. “We broke up a couple months back. It was messy. He’s a jerk.”

Nick frowned. “Sorry to hear that.”

Ashleigh shrugged.

“But if he’s that much of a jerk, I’m happy he’s not around my daughter.”

Brooklyn finished the bottle and started stretching and kicking in Nick’s arms. He laughed and Ashleigh stood up to throw the burp towel over his shoulder. “You can burp her if you’d like.”

Nick nodded and stood her up. “Do I just…?”

“Pat her back here like this,” she demonstrated. Nick nodded and started to do it. Ashleigh watched the two of them together and smiled sadly.

“I had no idea you and Naomi weren’t a thing anymore. I expected her to show up with you and chew me out for what we did.”

Nick shook his head no. “I broke her heart pretty bad with the whole me and Jeff thing. She doesn’t talk to me much. We were together for basically all of high school, so it sucks, but it is what it is.”

Ashleigh nodded, smiling at Brooklyn’s babbling as Nick burped her. “Yeah. So you and Jeff… that’s not like some phase? That’s the real deal?”

Nick smiled. “I like him.”

She nodded. “What’s in the water in Long Beach? First Blaine and now you?”

Nick laughed. “I’ve been told I’m his shadow. He goes gaga for a boy, I go gaga for a boy. He does you, I do you.”

Ashleigh shook her head. “That’s not what I’m implying.”

“I know,” he said quickly. “It’s been said, though. I am my own person, believe it or not.”

Ashleigh smiled. “He and his boyfriend are cute. I was on his Facebook recently and it’s literally 90% of him and Kurt—it’s Kurt, right? God, Kurt’s hot. Those eyes.” She got lost for a while and Nick stared at her, amused. “Anyway, it’s literally 90% pictures of them. Them on the beach, them on a motorcycle, them at Layla’s, them at Pace. I never in my life thought Blaine would settle down.”

Nick smiled. “I can guarantee you if Kurt didn’t move to Ohio, Blaine would still be the idiot he was when you and him were doing whatever it was you two were doing.”

Ashleigh shook her head. “Not my proudest moment.”

“I’m sure neither was what we did but—“ Brooklyn burped and Nick stopped to laugh. “Woah.”

“She burps like you too.”

Nick smiled. “That’s daddy’s little girl!” He sat her on his lap and she got distracted by his watch again. “But we got her from it.”

Ashleigh nodded.

“I wish I would’ve known.”

“I wish I would’ve told you instead of letting my parents drag me away from Cali.” She ran her hand through her blonde locks. “Not much I can do now.”

He looked at her. “Where are your parents anyway?”

“They’re at my grandmother’s place. They’ll probably be here soon so you should consider leaving in a bit.”

Nick looked at her and shook his head no. “Why would I do that? I am entitled to see her just as much as they are, really.”

“It’s not that,” Ashleigh went back to take her seat on the bed and looked across the room at Nick. He stared at her curiously. “My father thought that when you got here he’d be able to talk you into… I don’t even want to say it.” She finished lamely with a forced smile and collapsed onto the bed.

Nick felt his phone vibrate and ignored it for the time being. “Tell me, Ash.”

The girl shook her head. “He wanted us to be a … _family._ I told him that we only messed around once at a party and we basically used one another but he thinks that you should be in Ashleigh’s life regardless of that and that you should be with me. He’s a dickwad.”

Nick looked down at Brooklyn.

“It’s more for his reputation than it is about us or even Brook. He doesn’t want me to look like a slut.”

“You’re not a slut.”

Ashleigh laughed as she sat back up. “I’m hardly wholesome.”

Nick shook his head. Brooklyn started to fidget and he stood her up again. “He wouldn’t want me near her if he knew I was with Jeff, huh?”

The girl shrugged at that. “Probably not, but it isn’t really up to him.”

“Let’s be real,” Nick said. “You were pregnant and he ripped you away from California so that Brooklyn wouldn’t have to be around me. If he knew I was with a guy—”

“That doesn’t matter. You are with a guy. We aren’t together. That’s the way it is.”

Nick shook his head. “If I was single, would you even be interested? We barely know one another.”

Ashleigh stood up and walked over to them. She knelt on the floor beside the two of them, and Brooklyn stopped pulling at her dad’s cheek when she saw her mom; a wide smile spreading on her face. Nick stared at Ashleigh.

“Would it matter?”

Ashleigh sighed. “Nick—”

“I want to know.”

“If you came here alone, yes, I’d probably ask you how you felt about it. About trying. When you moved here. But you have a boyfriend and he seems a bit overwhelmed by the whole baby thing but I looked at him once and could tell he loves you. I don’t know much about Jeff… we never even spoke before today, but I respect that you have a relationship and a life.”

Nick smiled. “I don’t think he loves me. It hasn’t been that long.”

Ashleigh kissed Brooklyn’s hand. “I’ll let you try your hand at changing her in a minute.”

“Can we stop changing the conversation?” Nick asked. She dropped her head to his shoulder.

“What is it that you want me to say?”

Nick stopped for a moment. He took a deep breath. Brooklyn started to drool a little and he wiped it with the bib. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Ashleigh stood up and ruffled his brown hair. “We can all take a walk to the park. It’s a nice day out. Your friends are probably restless. And I just don’t want to be here when my parents get back.”

Nick nodded. “Yeah.” He watched Ashleigh walk off and get the changing station ready as he looked down at Brooklyn. She had her fists clutched in her bib and smiled up at him. Nick brushed back her dark curls with his hand and took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

…

Blaine was tense as he stared at the receptionist from across the waiting room. Kurt rubbed up and down his arm. He was listening to Don on the phone with his brother in Texas and trying to calm his boyfriend.

Cooper leant against the wall staring down at his phone. He let his head hit the wall and closed his eyes. Kurt watched him for a while before laying his head on Blaine’s shoulder. His boyfriend had been quiet for the past two hours.

“Can I get you something to eat?” Kurt asked him softly. He still rubbed up and down Blaine’s arm.

Blaine shook his head no and looked down at the floor. “I’m ok.”

“She’s in surgery now,” Don whispered into the phone. “She started bleeding this morning and the doctors say it is placenta previa or something of the sort, so they’re doing a caesarian section now.” He went quiet and Kurt watched the man pace, obviously concerned for his older sister and niece on the way. “She was 36 weeks along, yeah. The baby will be a preemie but we’re at one of the best neonatal units in So Cal. They’re both going to pull through this.”

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew his boyfriend was afraid of not only losing his little sister but of losing Clarissa as well. He squeezed his hand and looked up at Blaine. “I’m going to run to the deli. Give me a kiss.”

Blaine looked away from Cooper and to his boyfriend. He cupped the boy’s face and kissed him softly. Kurt smiled and pecked his lips again.

“It’s going to be fine, alright? I’ll be right back.”

Blaine nodded to him and watched him walk away. He noticed CJ go to follow him and sat back in his seat, hoping with everything he had that this would really be ok.

Cooper jogged towards the exit to catch up with Kurt. The hospital was busy on this Saturday afternoon. “Wait up. I’ll come with.”

Kurt slowed down and they walked in time with one another. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

Cooper patted his shoulder. “After losing our dad and Ariel we’re just a little on edge. Blaine has never been one to handle his fears well.” They stepped outside and Cooper followed Kurt. “He liked to be in control of things.”

Kurt walked towards the deli and looked back at Cooper. “I have no doubt that your mom and your sister are going to be alright.”

Cooper smiled. “Yeah. It’d be great to have your faith right about now.”

…

Don went to sit next to Blaine and wrapped an arm around him. “Where’d Team Blue Eyes run off to?”

Blaine smiled a little and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “Kurt went to get us all food, I’m certain. Cooper went to tag along. Probably didn’t want to cry in front of me.”

Don looked at his nephew. “Why would he cry? Your mom is going to pull through this. Melody will too.”

Blaine stared at the tiled floor as nurses walked back and forth. “She’s coming so early, though. And mom is a little older. I just don’t want anything to happen.”

Don gripped his shoulder and pulled him closer. “Do you remember Mikey was almost two months premature when he was born? He was so small—look at the size of my hand,” Don said, and Blaine looked down. “I could basically hold him like that. I often joke with Pam that he wanted to be older than Ariel even though he was due in November.”

Blaine smiled.

“He spent a couple months here before he could come home but look at him now. Skinny as ever, but he’s tall and strong. Healthy. I know this is scary but it isn’t the end of the world.”

Blaine nodded to him. “You’re right.”

“You know your mom is strong. She’s dealt with a lot but nothing has beat her. I’m sure your little sister will be the same way.”

Kurt and Cooper walked in carrying coffee and a bag of sandwiches. Blaine smiled up at his boyfriend and Don stood up to thank him.

“Thanks for this and for being here,” Don told him. Kurt handed him a coffee and smiled. He sat down next to Blaine again and was shocked to see his boyfriend smiling.

“Hey there, cutie,” Kurt sang. Blaine reached for his hand right away.

Cooper sat on the other side of Blaine and gave the teen half of his turkey and cheddar. Don grabbed a roast beef from the bag.

“Hey beautiful,” Blaine accepted the cup and smiled. “Are you still trying to morph me into a coffee drinker?”

Kurt smiled. “It’s a white caramel hot chocolate. Sounded like something you’d be into. If not, there’s a sports drink in there.”

Blaine leant in and Kurt got the hint, meeting him halfway. He smiled at the small kiss planted on his cheek. “What was that for?”

Blaine took a sip of the drink and shrugged. “Because you love me.”

Kurt blushed. “For always, Castor.” His phone buzzed and he reached into his pocket for it. Nick had finally replied to his text.

**From Nick:**

***Pic attached***

**Legacy’s first baby!**

**From Nick:**

**I was soooo going to curse you both out for not coming with me, but it’s a good thing you didn’t. As happy as I am to be here with Brook, I’m upset that I can’t be there with you for Blaine and Mrs. Anderson. Call me as soon as you guys get news.**

Kurt smiled at the picture and showed Blaine, Cooper, and Don. “Brooklyn got a group picture with her dad and the guys.”

Blaine laughed as he unwrapped his sandwich, taking Kurt’s phone. “Oh my god, look at them. Justin looks like he’s crying.”

Cooper smiled. “Shit she looks like Nick. Wow.”

“Doesn’t she?” Kurt asked with a smile.

Don laughed. “Send that to my email. I need to hang it in the shop.”

“Send it to me too,” Blaine said. “Can’t believe my best friend has a kid.”

Kurt smiled as he took the phone back to send the picture out. “Can’t believe you were _this_ close to raising her.”

Blaine and Cooper laughed. Don stood up because he saw the doctor approaching, and the other three guys turned. The doctor was the same one from the appointment Blaine had went to with his mother a few months back and even though he hated hospitals and being in _this_ environment, he was happy to see a familiar face.

“How’s she doing?” Don rushed out. He stared at the man who started to smile.

“Clarissa is doing great. She’s recovering now. Melody came out kicking and screaming at close to 5 pounds which is great for a late preterm birth. We’re monitoring her in a Level I nursery because she was born before 37 weeks and we just want to monitor her heart rate and lungs and make sure everything is ok with her organs, but as of right now she’s making a lot of noise to let us know she’s fine,” he said with a smile.

Blaine couldn’t help his grin as Kurt wrapped his arms around him. Cooper lowered his head in a silent thank you and Blaine turned to squeeze the shit out of his boyfriend. Don thanked the man.

“When can we go see her?”

“As soon as mom wakes up, we’ll let you guys go in. She’s exhausted during recovery. As for Melody, she’s upstairs in the nursery. We’re hoping that we can let her go home in less than a week which would be excellent. Follow me and you can come meet her.”

Kurt stood up quickly and excitedly. Blaine handed his half sandwich to Cooper who put it in the bag and followed the doctor.

They arrived on the second in front of the window and Dr. Smith turned to them. He smiled at Blaine. “We can let visitors in two at a time. She’s small and being monitored so she’s wearing a few wires right now. Nothing to be afraid of, ok?”

Blaine nodded.

Kurt nudged him forward a bit. “Go with Cooper. Say hello to your sister.”

Don laughed as he looked through the glass. “That’s her, isn’t it? Brown curly afro…”

Dr. Smith laughed. “That’s her.”

Blaine smiled as he looked inside. He turned to Cooper. “Come on.”

Cooper smiled at Kurt and gestured in side. “I’ll be right back. You can come in after, ok?”

Kurt nodded to him and watched the Anderbros follow the older man into the room. They walked over to the incubator and a nurse approached, smiling and saying hello as she adjusted something on Melody’s machine. Dr. Smith said something to them with a smile and walked off, and Kurt smiled as he watched Blaine stare down at his sister and start yapping away a mile a minute.

Don took out his phone and patted Kurt on the back. “I have to let my wife and son know that she’s here so they can stop calling me every 7 minutes. Excuse me.”

Kurt laughed and took the bag from Don. “No problem.”

“First things first,” Cooper said, looking down at the little girl. “No boys until you’re 35.”

Blaine watched her close her eyes and looked at his big brother. “Is she sassing us already?”

“Sure looks like it.”

“I guess I’m going to be chaperoning your prom,” Blaine said nonchalantly. “These boys are not to be trusted.”

The nurse glanced over at them and laughed.

“And don’t think just because Blaine is moving to New York that he won’t be able to keep an eye on you,” Cooper warned. “We have eyes _everywhere_.”

“Everywhere,” Blaine repeated.

“And Mikey will kick somebody’s ass if it comes down to it.”

“So will Neil.”

Cooper looked at Blaine. “Are they… are they even a thing?”

Blaine shrugged. “You know, they’ve got the whole best friend thing going on right now but one day, probably.”

Cooper nodded and looked back down at his sister who yawned, obviously bored by this. “Neil too! We’ve got our eyes on you.”

Blaine wrapped his arm around Cooper and looked down at their little sister. “In all seriousness, you have an older sister who’s an angel now, and she’s looking out for you too.”

Cooper smiled. “Yup. And we love you. We’re going to be there regardless. Good times and bad.”

Blaine smiled.

“You scared us out there today Melody. You gave us a real scare.” Cooper looked down through the incubator and took a deep breath. “Don’t do that again, please.”

Blaine watched her finger move a little and smiled. “She’s pointing, CJ! She’s fucking pointing!”

Cooper threw both arms in the air and then pointed at his little sister. “That’s my girl!”

Blaine nodded proudly, wiping away a tear.

“I’ll be back with more threats in a minute, I have to let you meet your brother-in-law Kurt,” Cooper told Melody. He ruffled his brother’s hair before about facing.

Blaine turned around. He saw Kurt smile at him and wink. Cooper walked out of the room after saying goodbye to the nurse and she damn near melted. Blaine rolled his eyes at her. Thirst game strong.

Kurt handed the bag over to Cooper who said “she pointed” and practically skipped over to Blaine and Melody. He was so excited to finally meet her. He smiled and said hello as he looked into the incubator. Melody’s eyes opened.

“You look so much like your mother, Melody.”

The baby smiled a little and Kurt grinned at Blaine.

“Did you see that? I sang Wicked songs to her like every other day. She knows my voice.”

Blaine scoffed. “She was smiling the entire time Cooper and I talked to her too.”

Kurt laughed. “Liar.”

Blaine nodded. “Ok I am,” he smiled at Kurt who laughed more. “But only because we said she can’t date until thirty something. No one would smile at that.”

Kurt laughed and looked down at her. “I’m going to take Diesel to my place for a few weeks until Melody and your mom are situated. That ok?”

Blaine nodded. “He’s going to be excited to meet her.”

Kurt smiled. “He is.”

They held hands and looked down at her as she slowly fell asleep. Blaine smiled and turned to Kurt.

“I can’t wait until little Zayn Luke Harry Calum Niall Sheeran gets here.”

Kurt laughed and kissed his cheek.

…

The weekend was a lot less exciting after the birth of Melody, but that was in no way a bad thing. Blaine was grateful for the peace. He leant against his best friend’s Hummer on the beach and listened to Nick ramble on and on about Brooklyn and watched his boyfriend play with Justin and Mikey near the shore. He was so proud of Nick. He was proud of all of them. They’d come a long way.

“Next time you go visit Brooklyn, I’m _so_ coming.”

Nick smiled. “She’s adorable. I was scared out of my mind at first but after holding her, it felt natural.”

Blaine nodded and hopped down off the Hummer when a Miguel song began to play. He looked down at his sneakers to make sure they weren’t getting ruined by the sand. “I bought her some Jordans just like these.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “You would buy her purple sneakers.”

“She and Melody can match.”

“Do you know when she’s coming home yet?”

Blaine smiled. “Mom comes home tomorrow. Melody comes home on Saturday as of now. They want to keep her a week to be certain.” He rubbed the nape of his neck as he continued. “Cooper and I visited her this morning and sang the entirety of Duran Duran’s _Rio_ album to her. She said she’d rather stay in the hospital.”

Nick laughed and leant against his truck. “She just had surgery and you two put her through that? Not nice.”

Blaine smirked as he looked across the beach at David with Dani and Hunter. “We’re good sons.”

“Meh.”

Blaine smiled. “So would you like to tell me what’s bothering you?”

Nick shook his head and sighed. “I wouldn’t say something is bothering me but I had a talk with Ash yesterday and it’s still ringing in my head.”

Blaine rolled his eyes.

“She’s not the same girl, Blaine. She’s mature. There’s none of that petty stuff you and her used to deal with.”

“What did she say?”

“She thought I was still with Naomi and said that her dad was going to try and convince me to be with her instead. To raise our daughter together.”

Blaine nodded. “Ok. And?”

Nick shook his head. “That’s it. I didn’t see her dad. We left for the park with the guys. It was nice, you know—”

“If you’re about to tell me you considered leaving Jeff for this chick I swear I’ll punch you in the face.”

“It’s not that.” Nick took a deep breath. “Jeff and I are the real deal. I know that. It’s just… imagining raising Brook with her mom may’ve flashed through my head. Jeff doesn’t even want a family.”

Blaine walked away.

“Really, bro?”

“You’re an idiot.” Blaine turned around. “If that little girl was mine, I’d tell Ashleigh to shake hands with Kurt and get used to him being around because he isn’t going anywhere—”

“Well I’m not you and Jeff isn’t Kurt,” Nick said. Blaine rolled his eyes and turned away, walking over to Justin and his boyfriend. “And I didn’t say I was going to, I said the thought crossed my mind. I don’t even know Jeff and I are going to last.”

Blaine turned around. “Dude. You fucked Ashleigh once.”

“I know that.”

“You were drunk.”

“I know that too.”

“And 16 years old,” Blaine continued. “I’m thrilled for you that Brooklyn was a result because I know that you love her, and I know Ashleigh does, but is it worth throwing away everything else you have to play mommy and daddy? Don’t you think you can be a good father without ruining something good in your life? Jeff cares about you.”

Kurt turned back after catching the Frisbee. He fixed the strap of his tank top and raised an eyebrow. “Everything ok, boys?”

Nick nodded to him. Blaine turned and walked over. “Hey baby.”

Kurt smiled at him and then looked over at Nick. He tossed the Frisbee and Mikey and Justin watched Diesel run for it. “What’s up?”

Blaine kissed his cheek. “There’s like an hour and a half left of visiting hours. The guys want to go see my mom and Melody.”

Kurt nodded and smiled. “Sounds like a plan. My dad should still be there with Don and Pam.” He smiled at Diesel jumping on Justin before looking back to Blaine. “Sure that’s all?”

Nick walked over. “I’m going to go pick Jeff up from his place. Meet you guys there.”

Blaine nodded to him. “See you there.” He watched him walk away and kissed Kurt again. “C’mon beautiful. Let’s get out of here.”

Kurt took his hand and walked with him.

…

Thursday evening had finally rolled around. It’d been a long week of classes and dance rehearsals and visiting Melody and basically a long week of everything. They’d gotten their report cards and applied for colleges and were pretty much swamped with all that was going on. Add to that the weight of Blaine having to do an interview with the local newspaper as well as get ready for Preliminaries and you had a very tired couple in Klaine. Yet, they were preparing to attend Uncle Don’s dinner tonight in Los Angeles, thrown for him by RideBMX Magazine. It was sure to be the icing on the cake.

Kurt stared at himself in the mirror with a soft smile as he fixed his blue tie. He knew that he should be nervous—maybe the nerves would kick in later. For right now, he was excited that he’d get to experience this, and to share this night with the boy who loved him. He was excited to be going to a Red Carpet event in Pasadena and to get a taste of what it might be like for him one day—being in the public eye and being photographed with Blaine. Being a power couple. That was also scary because being in the public eye in this world meant being subjected to ridicule. Kurt wasn’t sure how Blaine would take to that.

There was a knock on his bedroom door as Kurt fastened his bracelet. He called for his dad to come in and Burt opened the door.

Burt whistled. “You look handsome, young man. Almost as good as me when I was your age.”

Kurt smiled and looked up at the man in the reflection. “Thank you. I know I’ll never get there but if only.”

Burt laughed. “Well at least you’ve accepted it. Are you ready for this?”

Kurt straightened out the designer suit he wore and took a deep breath. “You should probably be asking my boyfriend that. He’s the one who’s out to make a public declaration of love tonight.” Kurt focused on himself and fixed his hair one last time. “I don’t know why he thinks he needs to. Nothing but mean and malicious people are out there, anyway.”

Burt leant against the doorframe. “You told him he didn’t need to do this?”

Kurt nodded as he looked down at his products, beginning to put them away. “I have. Multiple times.”

“Why?”

Kurt turned to look at his dad for a moment before looking back down at his work. “For one, if there are negative reactions, which there will be, he’ll probably take it hard. And I don’t mean take it hard as in want to break up with me for a girl,” he said, closing his hair spray. “I mean retaliate against the ignoramuses who say something. Then he’d be in the spotlight for that instead of something positive like all of his hard work.”

Burt nodded at that. “So you won’t take any negative responses to heart?”

Kurt smiled. “I think I’m used to negativity more than he is. I’m not immune from it but I’m used to bouncing back from it, don’t you think?”

Burt looked at his son as Kurt turned to face him. He smiled softly. “Come here. Let me straighten that knot.”

Kurt looked down at it and walked over—his Ferragamos clicking against the floor of his bedroom. “It’s straight, dad.”

“It’s as straight as you,” Burt reached for it as Kurt laughed and started to adjust it. He smiled at his son and took a step back. “That’s a lot better.”

Kurt smoothed the tie down his chest and smiled up at his father. “Even though it looks the exact same, thank you.”

Burt cupped his son’s face. “I’m proud of who you are today and the man you’re quickly becoming. It’s happening much too fast for me, but I’m so proud of you.”

Kurt rolled his eyes away and looked down the hall. “Don’t make me cry dad. I swear.”

Burt laughed and wiped at his own eyes, and Kurt stared at him. “I’m sorry. I’ll let you get back to it, but I want you to go out there tonight, walk down that carpet with your boyfriend and stand proud. I don’t care what anyone says to you, you’re a beautiful, strong, brilliant young man. You hear me?”

Kurt nodded, taking his father’s hand from his cheek and smiling a bit. “I’ll make you proud, pops.”

“Your mother would’ve loved this,” Burt said. It came out gentle like a whisper. “I know she’s smiling right now. Because of you and that knuckle head of yours.”

Kurt began to laugh and looked down. He turned around and went back to the dresser, grabbing his keys. “And because of you, dad.”

Burt watched him. The doorbell rang and he took a deep breath, wiping his face again. “I’m going to get that.”

Kurt nodded to him. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Burt went down the steps and walked over to the door. He looked out the peephole and smiled to himself before opening it. Blaine stood on his front porch looking incredibly handsome in a suit and tie that matched Kurt’s, only a purple color instead, and a bouquet of lavender roses in his hand.

“Good evening, Mr. Hummel.”

Burt raised an eyebrow. “You and I both know you have a key to my house, Blaine.”

Blaine smiled. “I know. Somehow this felt more… right.” He slid a hand into his pocket as Burt noticed the dark town car in front of his home. “We missed a dance on Saturday night and I didn’t get to do all of this so I figured, why not tonight?”

Burt nodded. “Come in.” He turned around and shouted upstairs. “BLAINE IS HERE.”

Kurt came a few seconds later, slowly making his way down the steps. Blaine stepped in and watched him, and the closer he got, the wider Blaine smiled.

Kurt’s heart skipped a beat when he saw him. He didn’t know how it was possible for someone to look so good but Blaine accomplished it. His hair was curly but had a little gel to hold it in place. His eyes were glowing. The suit fit him like it was tailor made. He looked like a true professional, way beyond his 17 years. Kurt took a deep breath and smiled.

“Blaine. You look amazing.”

Blaine kept his eyes locked on Kurt’s. “You are incredible.”

Burt watched the two of them and smiled from his recliner. Such cornballs.

“Are those for me?” Kurt asked when he was close enough to kiss Blaine. He did so, on the cheek. Blaine blushed and nodded.

“They damn sure aren’t for him.”

“I heard that,” Burt said.

Kurt laughed and accepted the roses, smelling them and smiling as he and Blaine looked at one another. He could feel Blaine drinking him in and it honestly made his body heat up.

“You remember the purple rose? A sign of enchantment. An exciting way to say I love you and that I’m eager to grow our relationship,” Blaine said softly. Kurt smiled at him. His cheeks were burning red. Blaine continued. “Eleven roses assure the recipient that they are truly, deeply loved. I wanted you to know that no matter what happens tonight, you can bet on that, beautiful.”

Burt smiled and looked away from the two of them. Kurt took the opportunity to close the small distance between him and his date and kiss him on the lips. You wouldn’t know the two had seen each other in school a few hours ago. Blaine placed his hand on Kurt’s hip and parted his lips right as Burt cleared his throat.

“Traffic is going to be a killer if you don’t get a move on it, fellas.”

Blaine pulled back and smiled at his boyfriend. He licked his lips as Kurt wordlessly gestured to the kitchen and walked off, probably to grab a vase and some water for the roses. Blaine stood there and smiled before opening the door.

“Goodnight, Mr. Hummel.”

Burt nodded to him. “Have fun tonight.”

Blaine smiled. “You have fun babysitting Mikey.”

Burt laughed. “We’re going to have a blast with Amber.”

Kurt came out of the kitchen and kissed his father goodbye on the forehead. “You and Amber behave yourself around my Mikey.”

Burt smirked. “No promises.”

Kurt went to join Blaine and the two walked outside; Kurt stopping when he noticed the town car waiting in front of his home.

“Did—Did you get us a driver?”

Blaine smiled and took his hand. “Guilty. I didn’t want to be in the limo with my uncle and aunt, and also Cooper and Jasmine. I hired my own guy.”

Kurt smiled and shook his head. “This is amazing.”

The driver got out and rushed to open the backdoor for them. Kurt thanked him and Blaine did as well as they slid into the back.

“Oh my god.” Kurt picked up the bottle of champagne on ice and laughed as he faced Blaine. His boyfriend was turning the station on the satellite radio. The partition was rolled up as soon as the driver got back into the vehicle and Kurt shook his head.

“Good ol’ Ed Sheeran,” Blaine said, smiling as he sat back. “ _See the flames inside my eyes. It burns so bright I wanna feel your love…_ ”

“I can’t believe you.”

“I’m not sure why not,” Blaine teased. He grabbed a couple glasses and passed one to Kurt. “We should toast to us.”

Kurt removed the cork as they pulled away from the Hummel residence. “I’ll drink to that. But only one glass.”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “One glass.”

…

The ride wasn’t very long, thankfully. They spent the duration of it talking about pretty much everything in between their kissing and trying not to mess up their suits. Kurt looked out the window when they pulled up and took a deep breath at all the reporters and photographers. He saw a slew of fans and shook his head, smiling.

“This is insane, Blaine.”

Blaine smiled. “Yeah, it is.”

The partition lowered and the driver looked through the rearview. “Is here ok, Mr. Anderson?”

Blaine nodded. “Here is perfect. Thank you.”

“I’ll get your door.”

Blaine smiled and then looked back at his boyfriend. “Are you ready to be photographed and interrogated?”

Kurt looked a little pale and Blaine kissed his hand, calming him down. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I hope my hair is ok.”

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Blaine whispered in his ear.

And there Kurt was, thinking how quickly things had changed, He was perfectly fine an hour ago, or so he thought. Now, he was as nervous as he’d ever been.

The driver opened the door and Blaine stepped out. People shouted for him and he did a quick wave before turning back to face Kurt still inside the car. He smiled and held out his hand.

“Come on, Pollux.”

Kurt felt that tonight, Blaine was _definitely_ Pollux. He took his boyfriend’s hand and swallowed hard, allowing him to help him out of the vehicle. Blaine told the driver when to expect them and the man nodded, going to find parking. He turned to Kurt and smiled as he approached the red carpet.

Paparazzi were flashing. Kurt felt as if he was floating forward. He wasn’t even sure he had legs. There were people screaming and cheering and girls asking Blaine for selfies but security kept a clear path. Blaine nodded hello to the media after signing a few autographs, and he laced his fingers with Kurt’s. He smiled that toothy smile to his boyfriend and leaned in to kiss his cheek before they stepped onto the carpet together.

“Blaine Anderson! Over here!”

Blaine stepped back, close to the wall and pulled Kurt so that he was to the left of him. Kurt was a bit overwhelmed by the cameras and the yelling, but he smiled as Blaine’s hand slid around his waist. The two of them posed for the photographers and everyone seemed to eat it up.

“Blaine! Is this your boyfriend you’ve spoken about? What’s his name?”

The woman who worked on moving stars along the carpet urged them to move down a bit. Blaine nodded to her and Kurt tried to hide his nerves and not bust his face open at the same time as they moved. “This _is_ my boyfriend,” he told them. “His name is Kurt Hummel.”

“Kurt! How long have you been together?”

Kurt smiled as Blaine said “Here we go,” into his ear and laughed lightly. “Going on five months now,” he answered. More flashes went off and more people shouted questions. Blaine looked at Kurt and smiled.

“See? Not so bad, right? A little chaotic but manageable.”

Kurt nodded as Blaine leant over to kiss him quickly. The cameras caught every moment, including the love struck look of adoration on Blaine’s face as Kurt pulled away. “I’m going to step aside and let them get some pictures of you alone.”

Blaine nodded. “Don’t be afraid to say ‘no comment’ if a jerk tries to interview you. Got it?”

Kurt nodded. He stepped aside and smiled when he saw Justin further down the carpet doing interviews. He turned and watched Blaine pose for the cameras; hands in his pockets—the epitome of sexy sophistication. Kurt honestly could do him right there if it was socially acceptable. He waited for the event coordinator to escort him down the carpet and she came after a moment, placing a hand on his back.

“You and Blaine look very handsome tonight. I hope you’re enjoying the pandemonium.”

Kurt smiled a little. “Thank you. It’ll be something to get used to.”

The two stopped when interviewers began to shout for Kurt. She gestured for him to go over and then walked away. Kurt seriously considered running off to find Justin but slowly approached; a smile on his face.

“Hello everyone,” he began.

“Kurt Hummel, are you close with the man of the hour, Mr. Kinsella?”

Kurt smiled at the ESPN reporter and nodded. “Donald babysat me back in Ohio when I was in first and second grade and I returned the favor by working for him when I moved here to Cali. He’s a great man. He and my father were very close and are now too, and I’m lucky to know him.”

“Is that how you met Blaine?” another reporter asked.

Kurt nodded as cameras pointed at his face. “It is, and the rest is history you could say.”

“Were you a big fan of the sport?” the first man questioned. Kurt shook his head no.

“Definitely not,” he joked, and the crowd laughed. “The farthest thing from it. But now I’m a bit of a go-hard. I’ve got reason, now.”

“When did Blaine come out to you? Has he always been gay?”

Kurt declined to answer. “I’m going to move along for the next person,” he said. The reporters shouted for one more but Kurt didn’t want to say anything to get his boyfriend bad publicity. He smiled and walked off towards Justin who was standing at the entrance of the building as one of the announcers for that evening was interviewed next. Blaine jogged to catch up to him and snuck his hand in Kurt’s.

“Hey!” Kurt knew he was flushed and probably looked scared as hell. “That was an experience.”

Blaine smiled. “I was asked three times if I thought I’d come in top 10 at Recon. Apparently people think I’m washed up.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Bullshit.” They reached the entrance and poked Justin.

“Move it, Palmers. We’re trying to get inside,” Blaine said with a smile. He knew who was with Justin and couldn’t wait to see the look on Kurt’s face.

Justin turned around with a grin. Kurt tried not to moan because _this motherfucker in a suit looks like a fine piece of ass_ but Justin only stepped to the side.

Kurt’s eyes went wide and he squealed. “Oh my god!”

Quinn and Santana squealed _louder_ as they practically jumped on him. Blaine laughed and sheltered Kurt so he wouldn’t fall, and old guys glared at them as they went inside the banquet hall. “Surprise!” Justin said.

“What the—what are you two doing here?”

Santana laughed as she let Kurt go and fixed her extremely too tight dress. “Well Quinn is Justin’s date for the evening. I’m here because she didn’t want to fly alone and I heard there would be free food. Voila motherfucker, say free food three times and I appear.”

Blaine smiled as Quinn and Kurt still hugged. His boyfriend definitely had tears in his eyes. “Let’s move this reunion inside, huh?”

Justin nodded, holding the door open and pulling Santana in. Kurt walked into the lobby and started jumping up and down with Quinn. Blaine laughed as he followed them.

“Why didn’t you two tell me you were coming? Is it just you two?”

Quinn nodded. “It is. We skipped class to be here and see you, and meet Blaine’s uncle and that beautiful little sister of his he’s been yapping about on Facebook.”

Santana pinched Blaine’s cheeks and he smiled.

“We also miss Mr. Hummel,” Quinn continued.

Justin fixed his bowtie and smiled. “She misses me too.”

Blaine laughed. “Hey, this calls for a beach party tonight. I’ll call the guys.”

Kurt grinned and hugged Santana again. She laughed and tried to push him off. “Anderson, get him, please.”

Blaine smirked. “Justin, would you and your lady like to accompany me to our table?”

“I sure would. M’lady?” He held out his hand and Quinn gladly accepted it, laughing when Justin kissed it lightly. Blaine walked off with the two of them and Santana cursed at them in Spanish as Kurt squeezed her tightly, not even trying to let go.

…

Somewhere between Don’s speech and the hosts serving dessert, Justin, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Quinn snuck away from their table one at a time. Cooper and Jasmine warned them that if they were to get caught, they wouldn’t bail them out, but Blaine ignored them and went off anyway.

They ended up walking around the large building and going to different rooms. One was hosting a dinner rehearsal for someone’s wedding. Kurt and Blaine fought in the hallway after Blaine locked him in the room with 150 strangers. Santana got a good crack out of that one.

They found an empty room at the end of the building that looked like it held the same amount of people. Santana took off her heels and walked over to the stage, taking a seat. She was followed by Justin who was out of his blazer at this point and had his bowtie undone. Quinn walked over and sat on his lap.

“Where are you two staying?” Kurt asked. He smiled when Blaine poked his butt and swatted the boy’s hand away.

“We’re staying at David and Jus’s place,” Quinn told him. “We’ll be back to the drab Ohio on Sunday, though.”

Kurt smiled. “So we’ve got the entire weekend to hang out. We’re going to do _everything_ Long Beach has to offer.”

Blaine took a seat at one of the tables. “We can rent surfboards or jet skis. It’ll be fun.”

Santana clapped. “I brought five bathing suits because I couldn’t decide.”

“Same,” Quinn laughed. “I’m totally getting a beach home when I’m rich. Somewhere to spend the summers.”

Kurt sat next to Blaine and smiled at the boy on his phone. “Don’t tell me you’re checking for articles again.”

“Did you see us on the red carpet?” Blaine asked. “We looked fucking hot. I look like sex in a suit and you look like a million blow jobs. We’re so fucking hot.”

Santana rolled her eyes as they laughed. “You two are polar opposites.”

Justin smirked. “Opposites attract. Can we get out of here? I’ll tell the guys to get their asses to the beach. The girls and I can pick up David from UCLA on the way back to Long Beach.”

Santana smirked. “Good ol’ creepy David.”

“Don’t worry,” Justin said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. “He has _Dani_ now. That should keep you safe.”

“Is Dani hot?” Santana asked.

 _Cough. “_ You’re with Brittany.” _Cough._ Kurt cleared his throat. “I need to get that checked out.”

Blaine laughed and sat back. “Ah. Kurt’s so funny.”

Quinn stood up and smiled at Santana running to sit on Kurt’s lap and mess up his hair. She rolled her eyes when the two started to fuss with one another, and then Blaine started to fuss and pull Santana off his lap so that he could sit there instead.

“Mine,” he growled.

Santana kicked Kurt in the shin before scurrying off. “Come on, you guys. Back to Long Beach we go.”

Blaine let Justin pull him up and then pulled Kurt up. “Back to Long Beach!” he repeated.

…

And Kurt and Blaine fucked all the way back to Long Beach.

Kurt wondered if the driver could hear him. He wondered if the car shook when they were stopped at red lights and if his clothes were unbearably wrinkled with the way Blaine was manhandling him.

He started up in Blaine’s lap, facing forward and getting fucked with his face against the partition. Then he faced Blaine and let him fuck him slowly as they looked into each other’s eyes, moaning and saying the sexiest little things as Blaine thrust up harder.

Kurt came when he was on his back with his legs crammed into the air. His feet were everywhere, pretty much, and Blaine looked incredible wearing nothing but his tie and his pants around his knees as he moved in and out of him. Kurt swore he never saw his boyfriend’s eyes that dark with lust. He got owned and he loved every minute of it.

By the time they got back to Long Beach, Kurt had to get dressed in the back of the town car and deal with the stickiness of champagne on his chest and cum on his abs. Blaine licked up a lot of it but the rest would have to come off in the shower. Regardless of what internet trolls and homophobes watching the sports networks or reading the magazines would say, Kurt knew they were at home being haters while he was in the back of a luxury car getting his brains fucked out.

Clear winner here, folks.

Blaine fastened his belt and quickly reached into his wallet for a tip for the driver. He looked over himself and smiled. Kurt laughed when he noticed him as he did his buttons.

“I love you, Blaine.”

The rider licked his lips and winked. “I love you, too. Let’s go party.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly do not know when the next chapter of this or anything will be up for a while. Actually, I have a one-shot coming up for Jane (thank you G-Men) but that'll be it for a bit. Hopefully not too long, but a bit. 
> 
> I hope that you liked this. I worked on it for several days. No other story takes this amount of work. Just leave a review, pretty please, and let me know what you thought. 
> 
> I heart you guys. 
> 
> -Nellie


	8. Bloggers

“You know we can legally get married in the state of Nevada, right?”

“Is that so?”

“It is so. Just in case you feel like driving to Las Vegas with me at some point today. When you think about it, we aren’t really doing much. Just laying around.”

“We’ve been making out for like forty minutes. That’s a little more than laying around…”

“You know what I mean.”

Kurt smiled as he moved a few curls from his boyfriend’s face. “So you’re implying that we should run off to Vegas right this minute and get hitched?”

“Why not?” Blaine asked. “You’re here. I’m here. You’re going to be my husband anyway. Why can’t _One Day_ be today?”

Kurt smiled, tangling a bouncy curl around his index finger. “Okay. So let’s say Adam Levine is in Vegas while we’re waiting in line to get married and he winks at you… and says he adores the way your nose wrinkles when you’re trying not to laugh at something. Where does that leave me?”

Blaine’s fingers played at the soft skin of Kurt’s ribcage beneath his t-shirt. “You have to realize that Adam Levine and Michelle Obama are nothing but my side hoes. When it comes time for me to settle down, I’m ready and willing to leave them both behind.”

Kurt smiled as he tangled his fingers in the boy’s curls as hazel eyes looked up at him curiously.

“In all seriousness, I don’t understand why we’re waiting. What’re we waiting for? You know I’m going to be your husband regardless of when it happens. We’re already making plans for the future…” Blaine trailed off. “Think about it… we’ve already found a place to live once we graduate. So what’s stopping us from taking the next step?”

Kurt looked away from Blaine’s eyes and the way his fingers were playing in his boyfriend’s hair. “What’s the rush if we know all of that already? Why jump into it? Why not just continue getting to know one another and grow stronger in our relationship and when the time presents itself, we do it then?”

“There’s no rush,” Blaine said. “We’ve been together 6 months. I’m just saying… we both know we want this at some point. It’s been written, right?”

Kurt smiled and scooted his body closer to his boyfriend’s warmth. “It has been.”

“Exactly.”

“Well I don’t want to get married while we’re in high school; in Vegas at that. If one of us were pregnant, I’d totally get it.” Blaine smiled as Kurt continued, “But I want a chance to be your fiancé and I want a beautiful wedding somewhere we can honeymoon at afterwards and I want our closest family and friends to be around to celebrate with us.”

Blaine flattened his hand and moved it down Kurt’s stomach. “So then we can get married today and then have a wedding with all of that other stuff afterwards.”

Kurt laughed. “I can’t with you.”

“I have an engagement ring, you know. I told you I was going to be the one to propose…”

Kurt rolled his eyes as he tipped his boyfriend’s chin and planted a kiss right on his lips. “If I told you I didn’t want to get married until I was 30, what would you do?”

Blaine made a weird face before stretching out on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling as his _boyfriend adjusted himself and lay his head on Blaine’s_ chest. “I’d have a hard time with that.”

“Why?”

“Because by then _we would’ve been together for about 14 years and wh_ at’s the point of waiting _until you’re 30 if you’re_ absolutely sure that I’m it for you?”

Kurt smiled as he peeked up at his boyfriend. “But would you wait?”

“Fourteen years?”

Kurt nodded.

Blaine laced their fingers together as he closed his eyes. “I’d wait 100 years, but that’s the max. If you were still unwilling to marry me after that then I’d have to cut my losses.”

Kurt squeezed his hand as the lull of Blaine’s heartbeat made him close his eyes. He smiled to himself b _ef_ or _e replying. “You know that fourteen and 100 years are both way too long, anyway.”_

_Blaine hummed. “What’s a good estimate for you, then? How long are you going to keep me waiting?”_

_“Don’t worry about that,” Kurt told him. He kissed his boyfriend’s long fingers and fixed the sheets over both of them. “All you need to worry about is looking as cute as you always do. I’m going to propose to you and we’re going to plan a phenomenal wedding.”_

_“If I think you’re taking too long, I’m proposing first.”_

_Kurt laughed. “Well what is_ too _long for you? Apparently you want to get married today…”_

_Blaine bit his lip after yawning. “Shut up. Let’s just take a nap.”_

_“I don’t want to. I want you to keep talking.”_

_Blaine opened his eyes and looked down at the tall brown head of hair rising and falling on his chest. “Fine. I’ll tell you some funny jokes.”_

_Kurt smiled. “Your jokes aren’t that great, baby.”_

_“Screw you. Ok. So a poodle and a collie are walking together when the poodle suddenly unloads on his friend._

_‘My life is a mess,’ he says. ‘My owner is mean, my girlfriend ran away with a schnauzer, and I’m as jittery as a cat.’_  
  
‘Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?’ suggests the collie.  
  
‘I can’t,” says the poodle. “I’m not allowed on the couch.’” 

_Blaine chuckled and Kurt smiled into his stomach before looking up at him._

_“Really?”_

_“Want another one?”_

_“Why the hell not?” Kurt asked, smiling because Blaine really seemed to find himself entertaining and he looked_ adorable _this way._

_“Alright,” Blaine cleared his throat. “A sandwich walks into a bar. The barman says, ‘Sorry. We don’t serve food in here.’”_

_“Okay, now you can stop—”_

_“A dyslexic man walks into a bra…”_

_Kurt hated that he burst out laughing, but once he did, there was nothing he could do to stop himself. He buried his face in Blaine’s chest and the boy continued._

_“Ha. You should marry a man who can make you laugh. You know that?”_

_Kurt nodded. “I will.”_

_“Good. Why do bicycles fall over?”_

_Kurt kissed his boyfriend’s chest and smiled as he looked up at him. “I don’t know, Blaine. Why?”_

_Blaine grinned. “Because they are_ two-tired!”

_Kurt rolled his eyes and then closed them. “Goodnight.”_

_“You know that was funny… Kurt… Kurt… ”_

_Kurt turned to look at Blaine, but his vision was getting kind of blurry. “What babe? Are you ok?”_

_“Kurt… it’s time to get up. Let’s go. You’ve got school….”_

_Kurt changed his face completely. “Um, it is Saturday and it’s like 7 at night. Are you—”_

“Get up, Kurt. It’s a Friday morning,” this was his father’s voice, and Kurt felt a stack of something heavy hit him right before a pillow did. He opened his eyes and hated it because that dream was just that—a _dream_ , and his eyes were burning from next to no sleep if he could remember the night before correctly, and now his father was trying to wake him up for school. This was terrible. “No one told you to come home at 3 in the morning, and if someone did it definitely wasn’t me. So get up.”

Kurt looked down at the sheets draped across himself and dragged a hand down his face. He had on a pair of pajama pants with little hearts on them that his boyfriend had got him as a corny gift and he’d collapsed before he could get a shirt on last night, but what really stood out was the newspaper that his father had apparently thrown at him. “What’s this?”

Burt looked in his son’s mirror and fixed his cap before turning away. “You made the paper this morning. I thought you might want to see it.”

Kurt sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. He gave his father a questioning look, but before he could get the man to elaborate, Burt was already out the door.

“Gossip column, of course. I’m leaving. It’s a long day at the shop so if you need me, give me a ring. And make sure you get up.”

Kurt pulled the newspaper closer to him. He didn’t think ‘getting up’ was much of an option. The night before, he ended up on the beach with everyone—Blaine, Nick, Jeff, David, Justin, and of course Santana and Quinn who had tagged along, and they weren’t doing anything _too_ crazy but there were laughs and story sharing and a couple drinks. It was good seeing a couple familiar faces. Of course Kurt didn’t get to see the girls often, but David and Justin weren’t around much either, so no one was in a rush to throw in the towel and go home. But, Kurt did acknowledge that it would be smart to get some sleep after Jeff yawned 10 times in a row, so eventually everyone went their separate ways. Kurt let his boyfriend walk him to his front door, they said goodnight five times in between making out again and again, and right before Kurt could invite Blaine in to stay the night, Uncle Don came home from his after party and told his nephew to get lost.

That led Kurt to say, “Can I please stay home? I haven’t missed a day and you’ve seen my report card. I'm doing great, dad. A day won't hurt.”

Burt stared at his son and shook his head. “Remember you do have a recital coming up…”

“I know,” Kurt looked down at the newspaper, still wondering why it was on his bed. He obviously hadn’t shaken the cobwebs out of his head, his father thought. “I’ll be fine. I can rehearse here.”

“Alright,” Burt gave him a small smile. “I’m out of here. Have a good day.”

“Thanks pops. You too.”

As soon as Burt closed his bedroom door, Kurt collapsed against the mattress and threw the sheets on over his head. He could hear his phone going off repeatedly on the charger next to him; the vibrations making an annoying noise against his night table, but he ignored it in order to get at least another hour in. At _least._

Burt picked up his keys and opened his front door, humming a song to himself he heard Mikey singing over and over last night as he babysat the boy—something about being all about a lot of bass, and he was caught off guard (for what reason, he wasn’t sure) when a very curly haired Blaine Anderson stood on his porch fumbling with his keys. He wore a denim shirt and cargo shorts with a nice pair of white sneakers. There was no cap today, just springy curls everywhere, like he’d washed out the gunk that styled his hair last night and this was the result, and his book bag was slung over one arm when he looked up and smiled.

“Oh, good morning Papa Bear. I know I’m a little late but I’m here for Kurt.”

Burt nodded and smiled a bit. “I know the drill. He’s staying home today though…says he’s too tired.”

Blaine smirked as he pocketed his keys. “We’re all _too_ tired. If I gave him that excuse I’d be told I had ten minutes to get ready.”

Burt stepped outside and pushed the remote to unlock his truck. “Well, get used to it. That’s what you’ve got to look forward to.”

Blaine smiled at him when Burt patted his shoulder and started off down the steps. “I’m going to be in late tonight. How’s mom doing?”

“She’s feeling better,” Blaine answered. “We’re ready for Melody to come home tomorrow.”

“Glad to hear it. Have a good day,” Burt gave him a wave before hopping into his vehicle. Blaine waved back, turning and going inside the house. He closed and locked the front door and went straight into the kitchen, grabbing something to drink before joining his boyfriend upstairs.

 **xoSantanaxo:** All I’m asking is you don’t take me to a place that I’m likely to get drugged and taken advantage of at and I think I’m going to be aight

 **xoSantanaxo:** Basically I wish to leave with my virginity in tact

 **DavidOfLegacy:** *insert -bitch please- face emoji*

 **xoSantanaxo:** Shut up

 **Nice_Nick:** we will take good care of you and Quinn, we promise. What time are we all meeting up?

Blaine read through the messages before pocketing his phone. He knocked softly on his boyfriend’s door and then pushed it open, smiling at the sight of Kurt with a pillow over his head, shirtless body on display, and those corny pajama pants he’d bought him on. Blaine also saw the newspaper on his bed and found it weird. Since when did Kurt read the paper and since when would he let it be on his bed? Nothing was allowed on his bed, really. Sometimes Blaine wasn't even allowed on, like if he'd just come in from the skate park or didn't share his Starbursts.

“Babe?”

Kurt flinched a little but otherwise didn’t respond. Blaine dropped his backpack by the door and walked over, taking a small sip from his orange juice before taking a seat beside him.

“Wake up.”

“Hm?”

“Kurt…” Blaine tried not to laugh as his boyfriend’s mouth fell open. “Wake up before I kiss you awake.”

Kurt still seemed to be not showing much of a response. Blaine put the orange juice down and then crawled over him, leaning in to kiss Kurt’s cheeks and then his lips. He was a bit surprised when the kiss was reciprocated effortlessly and Kurt was licking across his bottom lip.

“I just wanted the kiss…”

Blaine smirked. “You’re a little cheat, but I like it. Get up, we’re going to school.”

Kurt opened his eyes and wiggled a little underneath his boyfriend. He was getting nice thoughts about being underneath him like this, but he was also very tired and sore from the night before. Things got pretty fun in the back of that town car. “No thanks. I’m exhausted. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I woke up so you can wake up too,” Blaine whispered, kissing his forehead. He adjusted himself to kiss him some more when he felt the newspaper crunch beneath him. “And what’s with the Daily News?”

“Hm?” Kurt asked, stretching a bit and resting his hands on Blaine’s bended arms.

“There’s this newspaper on your bed…”

Kurt looked up at him and smiled. “You look adorable today.”

“I try.”

“My dad threw that at me when he was trying to wake me up earlier. Said something about me being inside… gossip column… but I think it was a time-to-wake-up-tactic.” Kurt sat up a little when his boyfriend rolled away from him and looked around for a shirt. “I want you to know I’m not stopping you from doing the right thing and going to school but I have zero intention of getting out of this bed. Is this orange juice for me?”

Blaine curiously started to flip through the newspaper as he replied. “No, but you can have a sip.”

“I’m going to drink it all.”

“Holy shit,” Blaine landed on the 23rd page and smiled, staring down at the picture of the two of them together. It was taken last night—Blaine remembered posing for it and the person saying they were a journalist, but he didn’t think it’d earn them a spot in the paper the next morning. “We look hot. I’m keeping this.”

Kurt stopped mid-gulp and turned to Blaine. He figured he was being pranked because Blaine was great for that, but nope, there was actually a photograph from last night in the _fucking_ LA Daily News. They were smiling and jovial and on the same page as Selena Gomez and Benedict _fucking_ Cumberbatch.

“Wait a minute,” Kurt put the glass down and then took the paper away from his boyfriend. Yep. That was a picture. Right there in the freaking newspaper for all to see. Specifically older people who still bothered to buy the paper—the generation that would be more likely to _not_ want to see Kurt and Blaine smiling and happy in the newspaper. “This is real.”

“We look hot,” Blaine repeated, a satisfied smile on his face. “I mean, we didn’t get an article but we got a pretty sweet caption under the photo—”

“I’m not dreaming again, right?”

There was much amusement in the expression Blaine gave Kurt. “Dreaming? You had a dream you didn’t tell me about? Was it nasty?”

Kurt laughed as he looked down at the paper. “I didn’t tell you about it but I was definitely going to after I got some more sleep. You were trying to convince me to go to Vegas with you and I was reluctant because I wanted a regular wedding with family and all—”

“You’re dreaming about marrying me,” Blaine stated more than asked, grinning a bit at the thought. “I want to hear all about it.”

Kurt smiled as he leaned over to kiss him softly. They closed their eyes and Blaine slid his hand into his boyfriend’s. “You kept telling me really corny jokes, too.”

“Ha,” Blaine smiled into another kiss. “Are you sure that was a dream?”

“I’m sure, silly.” Kurt laid back and let the newspaper lie open over his lap. “You said if I take too long to propose to you, you’d do it yourself.”

Blaine started to unbutton his shirt. He smiled at Kurt, about to lay next to him when his phone went off. Kurt stretched out and made an obnoxious noise as Blaine turned to answer his phone.

“Cello.”

“Hi asshole,” Jeff said. “Your car isn’t in the school parking lot, neither is your boyfriend’s motorcycle, and Nick and I are kinda curious about where you two might be.”

Blaine whispered ‘ _It’s Jeff_ ’ to Kurt before replying. “We’re at his house right now. I swear I was going to come to school but Kurt’s convinced me to skip.”

Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Sure he did,” Jeff said. “Touch his butt for me. Well, grab it. Give it a good squeeze.”

“I will. Talk to you later?”

“We’re going to that Halloween party on David’s campus tonight but the whole gang is meeting up before then to shop for costumes and kill time at the mall. You and Kurt are expected unless you want Santana to cut you.”

“I’m not afraid of Santana,” Blaine said.

Jeff laughed through the phone. “Yeah. Ok. She pulled razors out of her fucking hair on the beach last night. Don’t be stupid.”

Kurt reached for his phone and looked through all the missed messages on KIK.

 **JustJus94:** I’m going to be Batman at the party tonight

 **Nice_Nick:** No! No one tell anyone what they’re going to be, let’s surprise each other!

“Talk to you later,” Blaine replied before hanging up the phone. He tossed his phone over to a beanbag chair in the corner before working on his buttons again. “Party tonight.”

“I’m on KIK. I see.”

Blaine undid his belt next and pushed his shorts off. “We have to meet the gang at the mall later. I’m not sure what time later is, but I’m sure they’ll let us know.”

Kurt smiled and rolled over. He watched Blaine place the newspaper on the night table before climbing underneath the sheets with him. Their warm bodies touched and Kurt pulled him a bit closer. “Thanks for staying with me.”

“Of course,” Blaine whispered, kissing him against the cheek. “We should go get married since we’re free.”

Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes. “Uh huh. Sing me back to sleep, please?”

Blaine nodded, smiling at the way his boyfriend tugged the hair away from his eyes. “Thank you. What song would you like, beautiful?”

“Surprise me.” Kurt kissed Blaine back and by the way he sucked on the boy’s bottom lip, Blaine wasn’t so sure they’d actually be getting any sleep. “Mm, you still taste like orange juice.”

Blaine smirked, sliding his hand down his boyfriend’s back. “I've been really tryin', baby  
Tryin' to hold back these feeling for so long…”

Kurt laughed, burying his face in Blaine’s neck. “You’re an idiot.”

“And if you feel, like I feel baby… then come on, _OH_ come on. WOO!”

“Let’s get it on,” Kurt sang, laughing as Blaine rolled on top of him. They wrapped themselves in one another and Kurt looked up into his eyes as they smiled at one another.

“I love you, Mr. BMX.”

Blaine hummed, staring right back. “Do you?”

“You know I do. And thank you for everything, cutie. Last night… I had the most amazing time with you.”

“And you thanked me last night—”

“I’m thanking you again,” Kurt said with a sassy tone, rubbing his nose against Blaine’s. His boyfriend smiled. “You don’t know how brave I think it was for you to do that and I’m very proud of you. Extremely proud. And I’m lucky to be the one you love.”

Blaine smiled. They kissed again. “You’re so beautiful.”

Kurt wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes. “Alright. I’m going to sleep now.”

Blaine dropped his head on the pillow next to Kurt’s. “Want to hear a funny joke?”

Kurt started to laugh and shook his head. “Please don’t.”

…

Santana hadn’t been in Long Beach that long, but she was there long enough to know that she loved the city. There were parts that she was warned to stay away from unless she wanted her purse snatched, but thankfully neither Kurt nor Justin lived in those areas. The areas they did live in were beautiful and really captured the essence of Southern California—the beaches, the beautiful girls in their skimp clothing, the lovely weather. Even though she and Quinn only had a weekend here, Santana definitely intended on making the most of their time there.

Ohio was drab. Maybe not all of Ohio, but definitely Lima. There was nothing there for any of them. Well, except Chandler. Chandler could stay there. But everyone else was bigger and better than that town and Santana would be damned if she didn’t get her ass out the first chance she got.

She was happy for Kurt, albeit a little jealous, but he deserved to be here and to be happy. He deserved an idiot like Blaine who would put him first and love him like he deserved to be loved, and while Santana had no intention of saying any of that out loud, she was happy for him. The plan now was for them all to move to NYC after graduation—Klaine, Niff, some of the crew from Ohio; herself included, so this was like a test run to see if they could stand each other’s company. Their get together on the beach the night before was rather fun. Hopefully that was a sign of things.

Santana put her phone on the charger before finally pushing herself out of bed. Her room was next to David’s and she was grateful for that, because Justin and Quinn shared the same room down the hall and Santana didn’t want to hear _anything_ coming from either of them. David slept quietly and that was appreciated.

She went to text Kurt after her shower but was distracted by other messages.

**From Rachel:**

**Hi Santana. I hope you and Quinn are having a good time in Long Beach with Kurt and co. I see some pictures of you guys from the event last night up on a blog and it looked like it was a lot of fun.**

**From Rachel:**

**Once again, I want you to know there are no hard feelings. Even though I would’ve come if you two actually invited me, I know we aren’t on the best of terms and I respect your decision to exclude me. I would’ve invited you, but that is neither here nor there.**

**From Rachel:**

**You’ve probably heard by now that I’m out of Sectionals because of my suspension. Tina will be having a solo. I would’ve given it to you had you not left Glee club for my biological mother’s club, or had you invited me along to Long Beach, but what happened happened.**

Santana rolled her eyes harder than usual.

**To Rachel:**

**Take your solo and shove it.**

She went to read the bajillion KIK messages on her phone, ignoring whatever Rachel’s response was, and smiling at the new plan the boys of Legacy had come up with.

 **Nice_Nick:** Jeff and I left school a bit early. Want to meet up at Layla’s? can someone call Kurt and Blaine because I’m not getting an answer via text

 **JustJus94:** Blaine texted me earlier to say they were going back to sleep. They’re either actually sleeping or screwing, so we won’t be getting any answer any time soon.

 **Sk8BoardJeff:** Quinnie? Tana? Get ready

 **Sk8BoardJeff:** Layla serves breakfast all the time, you know. We can get some to go and then go meet up at Kurt’s

 **Sk8BoardJeff:** Then go costume shopping! :D

 **DavidOfLegacy:** do they know they were in the newspaper this morning XD

 **DavidOfLegacy:** and they look so freaking cute

 **Sk8BoardJeff:** were they? Omg ^_^

 **xoSantanaxo:** someone buy me a newspaper to take back to Ohio pls

 **DavidOfLegacy:** you can have mine

 **xoSantanaxo:** thank you.I’m getting dressed now. C u guys in a bit

 **JustJus94:** so much heart eyes today

 **JustJus94:** alrighty, I’m going to get in the shower. C u soon

…

“Are you going to answer your phone?”

Blaine shook his head no. “I only pay my phone any attention when I’m not around you.”

Kurt smiled and Blaine pulled him closer into him. He wanted to call Blaine corny, but there was no use in that. Blaine knew he was corny and he was proud of his corniness. They were tucked tightly now; Kurt’s bare back against Blaine’s bare chest, their legs tangled and warmth filling the space in between them. Blaine placed a small kiss to his shoulder as Kurt laced their fingers together. Kurt thought back to his dream earlier about marriage and knew that he could do this forever.

“How’d you sleep, baby?”

The voice was a deep but whispered lightly in his ear. The sound made Kurt quiver, and he smiled as he played with Blaine’s fingers in his own. “Much better,” he answered. After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes to take a look at the clock before closing them once again. “I only needed a few more hours after last night. I honestly can’t remember ever being that tired.”

His boyfriend kissed his shoulder again before humming in content.

“Thanks again for staying with me. I hope your mom won’t be upset with you about missing school. I’ll tell her it was my fault. Aunt Pam too.”

Blaine smiled and dropped his head to the pillow as he held Kurt. “Don’t worry about that.”  

Kurt turned over in his boyfriend’s arms and placed a quick kiss to his lips. “I should go and brush my teeth. Probably shower too.”

“OR, you could stay in bed with me…”

Kurt smiled. Some things would never change. “I like staying in bed with you.”

“I could hold you like this all day. I swear I could.”

“And I’m sure I could be held like this all day,” Kurt stopped midsentence to place a soft kiss to Blaine’s accepting lips. “But we did agree to go out with our friends and I’m sure that’s them blowing up your phone right now.”

Blaine sighed as he let go of Kurt and rubbed a hand down his face. “I hate them sometimes.”

His friends honestly did suck. He didn’t bother Nick and Jeff when they were alone because he was a decent human being. Everyone else seemed to lack the common courtesy it took to be recognized as someone with appropriate manners—someone who was against cock blocking their friends. “Fine. But I want some alone time tonight.”

Kurt stretched his limbs as he smiled to himself, making that funny noise that Mikey always laughed at. “Fine by me.”

Blaine sat up and looked for his boyfriend’s remote control, turning the television on when he found it. Kurt reached over for his cell phone and scanned through the messages flooding his home screen. Most of them were from the group chat the gang had going in KIK and it seemed like everyone was at Layla’s now. There were a couple other messages from Rachel and one from Chandler that was very vague. Kurt and Chandler rarely spoke nowadays, so he found that a bit odd, but before he could unlock his phone and reply to any of them, Blaine was leaning over him for another kiss.

“Mm,” Kurt said with a smile, dropping his phone. “What was that for?”

Blaine kissed his chin and pulled away with a wink. “’Cause I love you, bae. Can I wear that blue sweatshirt of yours? It’s comfy.”

“Of course you can.” Kurt kissed him with a loud smack before sitting up straight. “I’ll get it for you, though.”

Blaine pulled Kurt back down against him and went in for another kiss. He smiled when they began to roll around in the sheets and he ended up on top of him. “I can get it.”

“No,” Kurt laced his fingers around the boy’s shoulders. “I insist. It isn’t a problem.”

“It’s not a problem for me, either.”

Kurt tossed him off and crawled on top of him. “Don’t worry about it.”

Blaine smiled as he relaxed back into the bed. “Ok. Do you have another man in the closet? Why can’t I get the shirt myself?”

“Yes I do,” Kurt grinded his hips on top of him and made Blaine smirk. “His name is Julio and he’s shy.”

“What is it with you and these Spanish kids? Vámonos.”

Kurt laughed. “Well what can I say? I like the Latin heat,” he rolled off of Blaine and sat on the edge of the bed, stretching his muscles. “Don’t go in my closet.”

Blaine nodded. “You may as well tell me what’s in there because if you don’t, I’ll just ask Mikey.”

Kurt smiled. “I need to get a haircut while we’re out. And what should I wear?”

“No,” Blaine shook his head adamantly as he turned to look at the local news on television. “The last time you went to that barber he cut your hair shorter than I like it. And what’s in the closet?”

“Then I won’t go to him.”

“You don’t need a haircut anyway.”

“Something I’ve been working on for you is in the closet and I don’t want you to see it until it is done, ok?”

Blaine pouted. “At least tell me what it is?”

“Nope. But, I do need a haircut,” Kurt stood up and walked over to the mirror, pulling at the tall strands. “I’m going to get in the shower,” he turned around. “Let everyone know we’re getting ready.”

Blaine turned to look at his boyfriend and stared at his ass for a while.

“I can see you.”

Blaine smiled, rolling over on the bed. He reached for his orange juice and then let his hand fall limp at the side when he saw an empty glass where he’d left a half full one. “Um… where’s my juice?”

Kurt stepped out of his pajama pants and grabbed his towel, giving Blaine an odd look. “Well, I asked if I could have it.”

“I said you could have a _sip_.”

“Well I told you I was drinking it _all_.”

Blaine sat there with a blank expression. He didn’t even react when his boyfriend sent him that adorable _you-love-me-because-I’m-innocent-smile_ that worked 99.9% of the time. It wasn’t going to work now, though. “I don’t think this relationship is going to work out.”

Kurt began to laugh as he threw his green towel over his shoulder. He walked over to the bed in just his orange boxer briefs, sitting down on the edge of it and squeezing Blaine’s ankle. “Don’t be like that. We’ve been through so much together.”

“I don’t even want to hear it,” Blaine tried not to smile as he tossed a pillow at Kurt, watching it hit the boy right in the head. “I’ll consider being your friend, but this time you crossed the line, Kurt. This is unforgivable. You are unbelievable.”

Kurt shook his head as he laughed, crawling over to Blaine on the bed. His boyfriend, or _ex-_ boyfriend, didn’t look like he was having it. “What can I do to make it up to you? Would you like another glass of orange juice?”

“There isn’t any more. I took the last of it. Just tell me what’s in the closet.”

“Not happening.” Kurt stuck his bottom lip out as he pouted. “I’m sorry…”

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it. This is so much worse than when I ate your Yoplait and you know it.”

“I beg to differ—”

“Go shower.”

Kurt jumped on top of him. “You're all I ever wanted, you're all I ever needed, yeah—”

Blaine broke down and smiled even though he didn’t want to. “Singing *NSYNC won’t help you out of this one.”

“So tell me what to do now—” Kurt broke off the lyric with a kiss to Blaine’s cheek, smiling at how he laughed. “When I want you back…”

Blaine let Kurt kiss him; his hands moving to the strong thighs straddled over him. “Fine. I’ll take you back after you’ve given me 100 kisses.”

Kurt kissed him again. “100? That’s it? I could,” he kissed his ear and whispered, “Kiss you all,” he kissed his neck, “freaking,” and then kissed his ear once more, “day.”

 Blaine closed his eyes, extremely into what he thought was about to happen when Kurt started moving his lips down his chest, but then the both of them were startled by a crash that erupted from somewhere in the house. Kurt rolled off of Blaine as the elder jumped up and pulled on his shorts, going to check and see what the noise was.

“What the fuck?”

“Stay here,” Blaine told him. But Kurt was already pulling on pants himself.

“No way. I’m coming with you.”

…

“David, your hand is on my ass.”    
  
“Well you’re stepping all over me. Just crawl in.”    
  
“Hurry up before a neighbor walks by or something, please?” Justin was on lookout and was getting a bit frustrated with how long this was taking. Santana rolled her eyes and lifted the window, relaxing a lot more when the alarm didn’t go off. “Whew.”  

“Hurry up.”  

“Please calm your tatas, David. Give me a boost.”  

David shook his head as he lifted her up by the hips. Santana’s skirt was short  
and he was getting a peek at the bikini she wore beneath it. “Are you good?”

Santana linked her arm over the kitchen counter and pulled herself up, carefully navigating her way into the kitchen as quietly as she could. David pushed her feet up higher until she was all the way inside, but when she saw Jeff standing there, unpeeling a banana and taking a bite, she almost committed murder.  

“Jeffrey.”  

“Hm?” he asked, chewing and helping her down from the counter. 

“Were you inside the whole time?”    
  
He shook his head no and gestured to the basement door. “Burt left the garage open so I came in that way.”  

The girl could only glare at him, but for some reason Jeff wasn’t comprehending just how annoyed she was. “If you knew that then why the fuck did I just get my ass grabbed  
while trying to climb through the kitchen window?”

He stopped chewing the banana and looked up at her. It was then that Jeff noticed she was upset. “I’m sorry? If I would’ve known you and Justin had come up with some 007 shit I would’ve done it that way too. My way was boring.”

“OPEN THE DOOR,” Justin screamed from the front of the house. Jeff reached for a box of cereal and went into the cabinets for a bowl.  

“Can you get that? There’s Trix.”  

“We just bought food from that diner…”  

“It’s not going to be enough.” 

Santana shook her head and walked to the door. She always used to think that Kurt was exaggerating when he mentioned Jeff’s appetite. “Fucking Gordito.” 

Justin walked in when Santana answered the door and gave her a questioning look.  
“What took so long?”

“Jeff was in the kitchen when I got inside,” she told him, making her way over to the sofa. “Apparently he knew how to get in without climbing through a window but didn’t tell  
anyone.”  

_CraSH!_

“Fuck,” Nick said as he walked in. “What the hell was that?”

Justin and Quinn stared at Jeff and David as the two of them came limping out of the kitchen. Santana simply shook her head and took a seat.  

“I tried to help David in through the window—”

“He _yanked_ me in through the window.”

“Because a black guy sneaking in through a window in broad daylight is a good idea,” Justin mumbled, placing all of their food down on the coffee table. David smacked him in the back of the head.

“Ouch!”

Blaine and Kurt both came rushing down the steps but stopped when they were halfway. Kurt rolled his eyes immediately, and the look of half-shock half-fear on Blaine’s face faded away when he realized what this was.  He looked around the room at his friends and shook his head.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Quinn waved at Kurt and then gestured at everyone else. “Hey guys. I had nothing to do with this.”

Nick accepted his food from Justin and then addressed the two standing on the staircase. “We bought Layla’s. You have five minutes to get dressed and get your ass downstairs.”

“So are we just going to ignore the fact that you guys broke into my home?"

“Five minutes,” Nick repeated. Jeff snuck back into the kitchen.

“Well that’s not going to happen,” Kurt told them as he took his boyfriend’s hand and walked back up the steps. “We’re getting in the shower. Make yourselves at home.”

Santana looked at Quinn and they both started laughing. “This is so much better than being in Glee club right now.”

Quinn walked over to join the rest of them. “You said it best. So who’s giving us a tour of Kurt’s place?”

“I’ll take you,” Justin said, standing up and carrying his food around the home. “This, as you can see, is the living room…”

…

Liam chuckled as he looked at the photo of Kurt and Blaine in the gossip section of the newspaper over John’s shoulder. He took a seat at the lunch table beside the teen and smiled, shaking his head. “Young love. It’s adorable, isn’t it?”

John rolled his eyes and closed the Daily News. “What do you want, Liam?”

“Where’s your boyfriend? I’m inviting a bunch of people I deem mature enough to come to a party at UCLA tonight. About 5 thousand beautiful folk will be in attendance and you and your little red head should show face.”

“He’s my boyfriend, not my little red head,” John said with a smirk. “Zach usually has family thing on Fridays but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Wear a costume, it is Halloween themed,” Liam told him, standing up from his seat and preparing to leave until John stopped him.

“Wait,” he said. “Since you are over here, I want to revisit a conversation we had before… you know, back when you thought you could get in Kurt’s pants…”

Liam rolled his eyes and sat back down. He looked around the cafeteria and saw everyone focused on their own conversations—the big topic today was Kurt and Blaine and how they made the newspaper, _and_ how they were on some gossip blog sites as well. Apparently Blaine had decided to come out to the nation as a gay teenager in the BMX industry. Kudos to him. Sure took him a long time… “I could still get into Kurt’s pants if I really wanted to.”

“You do really want to,” John said. “ _He_ just isn’t playing as easy to get as the other hopeful idiots around here.

Liam smiled. “Eh. It is what it is. I’ll give him and Blaine a couple more weeks before they’re both single, and then I’ll go in for the kill. But what do you need, killer? Time is money.”

John pushed his food away and grabbed his cell phone. “I meant what I said about the both of them. They don’t belong in my school. Pace was a serious place before they showed up. Kurt _barely_ made it in if I remember correctly, and Blaine’s here because Leonard Riley and co. are hopeful for the publicity. You and I both know it.”

Liam shrugged. “If you say so. I happen to think Kurt is here because he _deserves_ to be here—”

“You just want to fuck him, we’ve established that.”

Liam laughed and pushed back his brown hair. “What do you need, John? Honestly, I’ve got to go get ready for this party…”

“I was the king here before they showed up. Zach and I were the kings. Maybe he doesn't care about all of that, but I happened to care a lot. We had first choice in everything,” John told him. “Now I’m probably going to miss out on NYADA because Kurt shows up, and he doesn’t even fucking deserve it. I want him to bomb at his dance recital. Shit,” John sat back and pulled out his wallet. “I want him embarrassed. If he could fall and possibly the wrong song could play, I’d be all for that.”

Liam watched the boy start to count out twenty dollar bills. “What makes you think I need or even want your money?”

John looked at him. “You always want something, asshole. So what’ll it be?”

Liam shook his head and stood up again. “Kurt may’ve been a dick to me but I’m not fucking him over like that. He’s a good kid, and I really do have a chance regardless of what you think.”

“Ok,” John nodded and turned on his seat, facing Liam. “If you say so. That’s understandable. You really like him—”

“I didn’t say all of that,” Liam chuckled. “Besides, he hates me, and let’s not get me started on Blaine—”

“You like him. It’s ok.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “I’ve gotta get going.”

“If you’re willing to change your mind, I could probably convince my boyfriend to let the both of us go home with him from this party tonight…”

Liam stared at the 18 year-old for a while before smiling. “Instead of worrying about Kurt and Blaine, maybe you need to worry about wowing the talent scouts at your music recital coming up soon.”

John smirked and nodded. “Uh huh. See you tonight.”

Liam shook his head and walked off, but the offer was still fresh in his mind as he neared the school’s exit. 

…

It was about 2 when the group pulled into the parking lot at the mall in Long Beach. Dani was standing outside, leant against her car as she waited for them. The look on her face was not one that emitted happiness, and Kurt pointed at David when they got out of the vehicle.

“It was all his fault. He was taking forever in the shower.”

Justin laughed as David hugged her. “You know he’s lying because Blaine is limping.”

Blaine stuck his middle finger up. He wasn't even limping that much, but his legs was still a little shaky.

They entered the mall as David introduced his girlfriend to Quinn and Santana. He slapped Santana’s hand away when it held Dani’s hand for longer than it needed to, making them both laugh.

“Relax,” Dani told him, letting him wrap his arm around her body. “So how are we going to tackle this? I already bought my costume online.”

“I did too,” Jeff said.

“Well everyone’s costume should be a surprise. I say we go in one at a time, buy what we’re buying, and then come out.” Santana raised her hand after speaking. “I volunteer to go first because I already know what I’m going to be and on top of that this was my idea.”

“We already know that you are going to be a stripper.” Nick said loud enough for the group to hear.

The group gave some _ooos_ , but of course Santana had a comeback. “I do not wish to be your mother for Halloween, Nicholas. It’s bad enough she’s stuck with that mask. Permanently.”

They all laughed as Nick chased her into the store. Blaine smiled, shaking his head and turning to his boyfriend. “Want to go somewhere else while they do this?”

Kurt bit his lip and looked around. “I could use that haircut.”

“No,” Blaine took his hand and started walking away. “Text one of us when you all are done, Quinn.”

She nodded ok as she dragged Justin over to the Starbucks line.

“Alright,” Kurt said, looking around at all the stores. “Want to kill time at the arcade?”

Blaine shook his head no. “Let’s go into the jewelry store. Look at rings.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, though he did smile. “That’s unnecessary. I already bought your ring.”

“You’re full of shit—”

“Oh! A sex shop…” Kurt looked across the mall and pointed at the store, smiling a bit as he turned to his boyfriend. “That’s new, isn’t it?”

Blaine smiled and led the way over there. “I’ve honestly never seen it before. Think they will let us in?”

Kurt shrugged, noticing a few people watching them and whispering as they walked. “I don’t know… I think since our little newspaper debut, you’ve gotten a few new fans.”

Blaine looked around and saw people turn their heads when he did so. He stopped and shrugged, holding Kurt’s hands tighter in his. “Are you ok with that by the way? We really didn’t … _talk_ about it.”

“About us being in the paper?”

Blaine nodded. “Well, as a couple. That makes everyone knowing a bit more real and I just wanted to know if you were ok with it.”

“I’m fine,” Kurt told him. He started to walk again, smiling to himself at the thought of people seeing it. “If Selena Gomez and whoever she’s dating now can be in the news then something like what we have can be in it too. I don’t mind. As long as people respect us and our space.”

Blaine noticed a few more people watching and whispering as they passed a True Religion store and stopped in front of the sex shop. “Yeah. But what I’m saying is, there’s probably someone taking pictures of us about to walk into this kinky ass store and by the time we walk out they’ll be all over Twitter.” Kurt’s face blanched. Blaine smiled and continued. “Not that I want you to worry.”

Kurt looked around. There were mostly older people at the mall right now—housewives and people shopping for costumes themselves. Everyone else was probably at school or working, and there didn’t seem to be any cameras pointed their way. “I think we’ll be fine. If not, I’ll tell my dad we went in as a dare or something.”

Blaine smirked. That wasn’t going to work. “Yeah. Alright.”

They entered the store and there was a **17 and older** sign right near the front. Kurt reached for his ID, as did his boyfriend, and the security guy who was about Blaine’s height (which meant he was not so intimidating) nodded to them and let them enter. A girl maybe in her young 20s smiled at them and put down a whip she was waving around in what looked like boredom.

“Welcome to _Your Desire_. There’s a 20% off sale on all condoms right now, and we also have Adam's Toy Box New line of masturbators. There is the “Pipedream -Fuck My Tight Ass” that seems to be a big hit.”

Kurt stared at her for a moment and what looked like shock. Blaine nodded his thanks, sliding his hand around Kurt’s waist and leading him in a different direction. He didn’t want to go back to the days of condoms, even though their parents would probably kill them if they found out they weren’t using any protection, and he already had a tight ass to fuck so whatever the hell else she was talking about wasn't necessary.

Kurt curiously looked down each aisle before walking into the last one. The store itself was dimly lit, which he thought was a bad idea. What if the camera couldn’t pick up someone’s identity if they were to steal? What if people got turned on by the cheesy porn music playing and started getting hot and heavy in the back of the store? Blaine let go of his hip and straightened his Yankee cap, looking down at a pair of beads.

“I don’t know what they are but they’re purple.”

Kurt laughed, shaking his head and bending down to pick it up. “They’re anal beads. They stimulate the prostate. It’s supposed to heighten your orgasm as you pull them out.”

Blaine’s face was a bit unreadable as he looked down at the package in his boyfriend’s hand. “Who made you an expert?”

“I’ve been interested in boys a lot longer than you, darling. I’ve had time to do my research.”

Blaine nodded, smiling a little as he looked away.

“And just because I was a virgin before meeting you didn’t mean I wasn’t curious.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Blaine said, picking up another anal bead thing and looking at the information and demonstrations on the back. “Interesting.”

Kurt moved down the aisle to the plugs and looked at the variety. When he was about grab a pack of three that were different sizes, he heard something start vibrating. Blaine began to laugh as he held a shorter silver pair of beads in his hand.

“My bad.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and grabbed the plugs, reading the description on them. Blaine walked over to his side, sliding his hand over the back of the boy’s ass.

“Ah. You can graduate to a new size it says.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m ready for the biggest one,” Kurt said with a whisper, winking when Blaine began to look into his eyes instead of at his lips. “This is a walk in the park.”

“Put your money where your mouth is…”

“Gladly,” Kurt said, turning to face him. “What are you willing to bet?”

Blaine smiled, folding his arms. In one hand was the purple anal beads that he’d taken back from Kurt, and they were stashed carefully under his bicep. “You have to wear the biggest one tonight at the party, and I will be holding this remote,” Blaine gestured to the package, “while controlling the vibration intensity.”

“You would know that it vibrates, wouldn’t you?” Kurt teased.

“If you can’t take it then I win 10 bucks.”

“One, you’re cheap. Two, I didn’t say anything about having it vibrate. I just said I could have it in…”

“Pussy,” Blaine said, walking off towards the back of the store where all the … _leather_ was. “All talk but you can’t back it up.”

“When have I ever not been able to back up what I say?” Kurt asked with a smirk, following him. Blaine bit his lip, failing to hold back his smile as he went over to the next aisle. He picked up some handcuffs and a purple leopard print blindfold, making Kurt raise his eyebrow in question.

“A minute ago you did.”

“Fine,” Kurt folded his arms too and cocked one hip out to the side. “You’re on. If I can keep it in—”

“Without coming,” Blaine added. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“At the party?”

“Yup,” Blaine smiled. Kurt shook his head, but agreed to it.

“Fine. You play dirty. But I’ll keep it in for an hour without giving up. After that you have to stop torturing me because it’s probably illegal in most states.”

Blaine was full-on grinning now. “If you can do it, you get 10 bucks.”

“Make it fifty.”

“Ten,” Blaine repeated. “No wonder you don’t want to go to Vegas with me, you obviously have a gambling addiction.”

Kurt laughed and turned away, scanning the aisle for the perfect dildo. Blaine watched him, following the boy’s footsteps and smiling at the impressively large one Kurt picked up.

“I’d love to watch you ride this while you’re blowing me…”

Blaine’s eyebrows shot up at what his boyfriend whispered in his ear. “Yeah? Well we can go home right now…”

Kurt bit his lip, adding the dildo to their collection of things and walking into the next aisle. When they were at the checkout, the cashier scanned all four of the different dildo/vibrators they bought, two pair of anal beads, the plugs, masturbation lube, handcuffs, blindfolds, more massage oil, a purple adjustable cock ring, and a little something for nipple play. The cashier looked a mixture of proud and scared, but gladly accepted Kurt’s cash when he handed it over.

“I’m about to see where everyone is babe.”

Kurt nodded to him while he watched the cashier counting his money. Her arms were tattooed pretty heavily; tons of colors, and she had some kind of tribal design over her bare shoulder. “All of that looks… painful.”

The girl—her nametag read Marsha—laughed a little as she handed him over his change. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Maybe the bit on my ribs, but everywhere else just… stung a bit.”

Blaine glanced up at her before typing.

 **BMXBlizzy:** What’s the status?

 **Quinnie_Mouse:** Santana is taking her sweet time. You two might as well do the same. Most of us are in the arcade ATM.

“Even the coloring?” Kurt asked. “I read up online that the coloring in was a little painful.”

“Well it all depends on the person and their tolerance for pain,” Marsha told him. “Me, I’m fine with the needles. I just refuse to let one go anywhere near my ribs again,” she shook her head and started to bag items. “Because that was really painful, at least for me. But I got this here done in the mall,” she continued, showing both Kurt and Blaine the tattoo sleeve on both arms. “There’s a body piercing and tattoo shop at the end of the mall, near the Lawrence Avenue exit. Jake is my guy. I go to him for _everything_.”

Kurt looked at Blaine who looked back at him and started to shake his head no. “Your father would kill me if I didn’t tell you this was a bad idea—”

“There,” Kurt said with the roll of his eyes. “You told me. Now, let’s go get our matching tattoos.”

“Babe—”

“Yes, my love?”

Blaine licked his lips, about to ask Kurt if he was totally sure about all of this. This was kind of a spur of the moment thing and he didn’t want Burt coming down hard on Kurt like he did with the hip piercings. “Are you sure? I don’t… want you to get grounded again. I hated that just as much as you did, I’m sure.”

Kurt was thankful that the bags were plain black when he accepted them. He didn’t need everyone and their great aunt Helga to know how much he just spent buying sex toys. “I’m sure. I doubt my dad will care much. I told you he and I spoke about this. He didn’t really agree but I know he knows I’m doing it anyway. Thank you, Marsha.”

“Anytime,” she told them. “And as for the tattoos, be sure this is something you want. It’s pretty final.”

Blaine looked at Kurt who seemed pretty ok with what she’d just said. “So is my relationship with this knucklehead.”

She laughed. “Sweet. Come back again soon!”

Blaine accepted the other bags and followed his boyfriend out of the store. They nodded to the short pretend security guard as they entered the properly lit mall. Kurt looked around and smiled as he turned to face him.

“Are they done?”

“Santana hasn’t even finished shopping yet,” Blaine answered. “We probably have time to get your hair cut a quarter of an inch.”

Kurt smiled and shot a glance in the direction of the barbershop. “Meh. If you don’t want me to cut it then I’ll have Justin trim it tomorrow or something.”

"That sounds like a plan to me. As long as he doesn't fuck you up like he does every song he ever sings."

"Be nice to him."

“To Justin? The same guy that organized a break-in at your house just a couple hours ago?”

Kurt smiled. “Ok. You can be mean to him. So what are we doing?”

“They’re upstairs at the arcade. I guess we can go to this tattoo shop in the meanwhile. But," Blaine moved in closer to kiss his boyfriend on the cheek. "I do want you to know that if Burt’s upset, I’m snitching.

Kurt pulled him closer and rested his hand on Blaine’s hip. Blaine was making a bigger deal of it than his father would, he thought. This all came down to the fact that if Blaine could profess his love by doing something like putting Kurt’s name on his chest, then Kurt should be allowed to do the same. "I mean, of course he'd probably be a little upset but he knows how I feel about you. He would get over it."

Blaine didn't seem too convinced.

"Do you not want me to get a tattoo?"

His boyfriend rolled his eyes. "Come on, don't be like that. We talked about this and of course I'd love for my name to be on you as well. It's just that even though we’ve come this far and Burt seems to be on board with the two of us, he's still fucking scary." Blaine looked into his boyfriend's eyes and smiled. Kurt only rolled his eyes. "On top of all of that, I really, really, _really,_ don't want you to be on punishment again. If you think that week was hard for you, it was really hard for me. I hate not being able to see you."

"My dad isn't going to punish me.”

Blaine laughed.

"Well, I'm going to get the tattoos we talked about regardless of whether or not you agree. Now if you'll excuse me," Kurt started to walk off in the direction of the tattoo shop. He moved his hips as he went and Blaine stood there watching, knowing Kurt was purposely putting on a show. He glanced around first and the mall was quieter than a Friday usually deemed it, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After taking a deep breath and shaking his head because _this probably wouldn’t end well_ , Blaine followed after him.

"Wait up," Blaine jogged over and caught up to him. Kurt turned around with a smile, obviously expecting him to do just that. "You don't have to be such a drama king. Besides, like you mentioned we did talk about getting matching tattoos and it would be cool to do this together."

Kurt smiled widely. "I would have to agree with you there cutie."

"Since you paid for our dildos, I’ll pay for this. And then after we do this together, Burt can kill us together. It'll be totally romantic."

"Shut up."

Blaine laughed, following his boyfriend down the strip of stores towards the tattoo and body piercing shop.

…

Donald Kinsella’s phone had been ringing off the hook that day. He was busy trying to get things in order for his nephew’s Recon Tour appearance, but as his manager, handling these other requests were important too.

The thing was, all of these talk shows wanting to interview both Blaine and Kurt more than likely had ill intent. He would’ve loved to have the two of them positively being interviewed about their relationship but Don doubted that would be the case—especially not with the blogs being brought to his attention now.

Don shook his head. All of that was stupid gossip. There were important things at stake. He dialed Blaine’s phone number _again_ and didn’t get an answer. Blaine was supposed to be picking up his son from school that afternoon and the last thing Don wanted was an excuse from him.

_You’ve reached Blaine Anderson. I’m not around to answer your call right now, so please leave a detailed message after the beep._

“Blaine, this is your Uncle. Again. Please get back to me. You have your photo shoot this weekend in LA and I want to make sure you’re ready. Also, please tell me you didn’t forget my son or if you won’t be able to get him so I can have other arrangements made. Alright. Call me back, thanks.”

Don sat back in his office, deciding to decline the few requests for interviews of Blaine with Kurt. Now wasn’t the time for any of that. The two of them were focusing on school and media involvement with their relationship wasn’t necessary at all—

_Ring. Ring._

Don rubbed the bridge of his nose as he accepted the call from the unknown number. “D. Kinsella speaking.”

“Donald? Yes, this is Angela with KLAC Sports radio and I’ve been trying to get in contact with you—”

“To talk to Blaine or to Kurt, correct?”

There was short laugher on the other end. “Yes. Definitely. I don’t know if you’re aware but the people would love to hear from Blaine and his boyfriend as well—the two of them together would be great. And with Blaine’s competition coming up—”

“He didn’t do this to promote his competition, Angela,” Don said. “He did it because he loves his boyfriend—”

“And that’s ever better, Mr. Kinsella. We just think it’d be great for Blaine to get that message out there. I don’t know if you’ve seen the internet lately but if you Google your client, people are saying that he and Kurt are only coming out to promote Blaine, but if he has a story to share, we want him to share it here on our radio show.”

Don looked down at the computer in front of him. The last thing he wanted was for his nephew to be a target for the media to aim at _constantly_. He had a hard enough time himself keeping a clean image. But with Blaine, Don didn’t think it’d be as simple. “For now, we’re going to have to decline. I don’t think Blaine would want to feed into any of this. But, if we happen to change our minds, we’ll let you know Angela.”

“Well, that’s all I can ask for. Thank you.”

“Thank you.” He hung up the phone and sighed, falling back into his leather seat.

**From Blaine:**

**Hey unc, getting a tattoo. Mikey is with Nick and I’m getting him as soon as I leave here.**

Don sighed harder. He was working hard over here and Blaine was somewhere getting a tattoo.

**From Blaine:**

**PS. Love you.**

…

Nick glanced up at the television as he waited for nap time to be done with. The Halloween party at the UCLA campus began at 10, so it wasn’t like they were cutting it close or anything. But, Nick did want to be able to get into costume and hang with their friends for a while before they left. Yet the two of them had been out for an hour like this—Jeff with his head on Mikey’s chest, a little bit of drool at the corner of his lips—Mikey with cupcake frosting still on his nose as he snored softly. Nick didn’t want to wake them, and it wasn’t only because of how adorable they looked as they slept on Jeff’s Fall Out Boy themed bed, but because he knew they’d probably curse him out and roll back over.

Still, the sight was too much at times. Nick wondered if it was because he was a dad now...  _god that was even weird to think about,_ he wondered if seeing Jeff with little people like this would always make him internally flail a bit, and if he’d always be this pathetic, but he couldn’t say he cared. 

_Oh, won't you stay with me?_  
'Cause you're all I need  
This ain't love, it's clear to see  
But darling, stay with me

Nick quickly reached for his phone as he muted the television completely. He smiled at the name and face on the caller ID which was something he wouldn’t have done seeing this number call him a couple months ago, but now, everything had changed.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Ashleigh answered, and he could tell she was smiling. “What’s up? Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Nick sat up and started to stretch. “I was actually just thinking about you and Brooklyn. Haven’t heard from you all day. What’s going on? How’s she doing?”

“I just got home a couple hours ago. My mom was bitching because it was a little late, but SAT prep ran a bit longer than I expected and ugh, it was a long Friday. But, your daughter is here being a fussy brat and even my singing won’t help. I don’t know.”

Nick smiled before he rolled his eyes. “Your singing is probably what’s making her upset in the first place—”

“Shut up!”

Nick laughed and played at the hem of his t-shirt. He could hear his daughter in the background and sighed after a moment—the two of them quiet on the line. Everything about hearing Brook’s voice and knowing she was there, she was well, and he wasn’t around… it really did suck at times. He wanted to be there. He wanted not to be afraid that Brooklyn didn’t know who the hell he was when he did get to see her, and just missing out on the little things killed him.

“I miss you both.”

The crying in the background got a little louder. Ashleigh could be heard trying to soothe her as she answered.

“We miss you too. I’m trying to work something out so that I can bring her to your family after Thanksgiving, but if that doesn’t happen, definitely after Christmas. Regardless of what my dad says.”

Nick nodded before glancing over at Jeff. Though his boyfriend was facing away from him, he still appeared to be asleep. He cleared his throat a bit and spoke.

“Um. Has he said anything else…?”

“About?”

Nick licked his lips. “About wanting you and me to work things out… for Brooklyn’s sake. Like you were telling me when we came.”

“Oh.” She moved around a bit and it sounded like Brooklyn was closer to the phone. “One second. Just let me give her the bottle…”

“Sure.” Nick stood and walked over to the computer desk before sitting. He tapped a little on Jeff’s laptop and waited patiently. Brook’s whines had quieted out and then Ashleigh was speaking again.

“About my father, I told him that you were with someone and that you two are solid. Again,” she sighed. “He insists that you should at least try us but even  _if_ you were single, I’m across the damn country. Besides, I don’t give a crap what his friends think about me being a single mom.”

Nick was quiet.

“And I don’t know… I don’t want you to worry about any of it. You’re sweet for caring about the old fart but, I don’t, at least not in terms of what he thinks about your and my relationship. Just promise me you’re going to be here for her when you can and that’s honestly all I need.”

“I promise,” Nick said without hesitation. “I definitely will. And… let’s put it this way,” Nick began. “If I happen to be single when I come to New York, and you happen to be single, we can talk about it.”

Ashleigh laughed. “You don’t have to—”

“I know it’s a long shot but I’m saying. If it’s the case, we can at least try. Not for him, but for Brooklyn.”

She hummed a bit. “We’ll talk more about that later. I … I like Jeff. You two seem to like one another a lot.”

Nick smiled. “I like him a lot, yes. We’ll talk about it. But do me a favor… I’ve gotta get going in a bit. Just put the phone to her ear.”

“Will do.”

After a moment, Nick began to speak. “Brooklyn? It’s your dad… I don’t know why I paused like you’d answer when you’re an infant,” he laughed awkwardly, “but… before I begin to ramble, I will say that I love you with ever part of me and I want you to be good for mom and for your grandparents, ok?” he stopped and looked down at his fingernails. “I can’t wait to hold you again—”

There was a cooing noise and Ashleigh laughed. Nick smiled, hoping that it meant his little girl was responding to his voice. “I know, sweetie. I love you a lot. Soon.”

He stopped speaking and then before he could wait long, Ashleigh answered.

“That all, dad?”

“Yeah… how’d you know?”

“Speakerphone, genius. You should’ve seen the smile on her face. Identical to yours, basically, but one day we can FaceTime.”

Nick’s heart was soaring. He laughed and nodded at the idea. Behind him, he could hear one of the boys on the bed stirring. “Sounds great. I’ll call you in the morning,

“Later! Tell the boys I said hey. And Brook’s waving goodbye.”

He laughed and promised that he would before hanging up, but once the call ended, he felt a little emptier than he thought he would. At least after getting to hear Brooklyn’s voice, he thought it’d lift his spirits but it made him feel worse. It made him feel a million miles away and like he wasn’t where he was needed.

“That was Ash?”

The voice startled him slightly. Nick turned around and saw Jeff staring up at the ceiling now, not giving him any eye contact. He nodded and stood to his feet.

“Yeah. She called while you were knocked out. Baby girl is a little cranky but she’s fine now.”

Jeff nodded and then lowered his eyes to the TV. He was unusually quiet and it made Nick bite his lip. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah.” Jeff sat up and checked the time. “We should get going. I didn’t mean to sleep this late.”

“I didn’t want to wake you and Mikey,” Nick said softly, watching Jeff’s face. Now he was wondering if his boyfriend heard any of the conversation and honestly, he didn’t feel so good about it. “Hope you slept well…”

Jeff smiled as an answer but still didn’t give him any eye contact. He stood up and started to tickle-shake the little boy awake, laughing when Mikey’s eyes snapped open like something out of a horror movie.

“Wake up, big head. It’s time to get you home before your Mommy beats me.”

Mikey rubbed his eyes and stretched his skinny limbs out before rolling over on the bed. “Mmkay.”

Nick picked up the little boy’s sneakers as he peered over at his boyfriend. “So we’re good? You seem a bit out of it.”

Jeff nodded quickly. “We’re fine. I don’t know why we wouldn’t be fine. Where are my shoes?”

“Over here,” Nick tossed the Adidas to him.

Jeff smiled, finally giving him some semblance of recognition. “Thank you.”

“I hope my mommy has pizza,” Mikey said, half-asleep as he spoke.

…

Santana knocked on Kurt’s bedroom door and was annoyed that he had it locked in the first place. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what he was going as for Halloween—it was her that bought Kurt and Blaine’s costumes for them in the first place because they were busy getting tattooed in suspect mall tattoo and body piercing shops after all. Blaine walked out of the bathroom with his ax in hand, proudly showing off his body beneath the suspenders he wore. He and Kurt were matching firemen and Santana already knew how this night would end.

“What’s taking this so long? You both are wearing the same thing and you’ve been ready for ten minutes now.”

Blaine looked Santana up and down and rolled his eyes at her costume. She had angel wings and a halo, but nothing else about the outfit was heavenly. “Your shorts could be a bit longer, don’t you think?”

“They’re called shorts for a reason, genius.”

“I think Kurt has a white pair of skinny jeans you can put on.”

“You’re not my father and there’s no way I’m wearing skinny jeans with this.” Santana turned and knocked on the door again. “Kurt!”

“I’m almost done!”

Blaine bit his lip into a smile, imagining Kurt putting the plug inside of him. _Deep_ inside of him. “Do you need help, amore?”

“Go away.”

Blaine played with the bright red suspenders over his chest and smiled at Santana. “We may as well go downstairs. He tends to take a while to get ready.”

Santana rolled her eyes and started to walk away in her heels. “Well, I need to compliment you on your tattoos. I think they add to the costume.”

Blaine followed her down the steps where Quinn and Justin were waiting. He smiled to himself. On his neck was a brand new tattoo of Kurt’s lips in pure red, and he loved it. Kurt did too. He also got their anniversary date tattooed on his right bicep and everyone thought it looked pretty cool. Kurt got the same tattoo beneath his collarbone on the right side of his chest, and he tattooed Blaine’s name on his left hand ring finger. Blaine loved it even though they were still getting teased for all of it.

“Thank you. We’re making a Tumblr together like those bloggers do when they’re dating and we’re going to post pics together,” Blaine told her as they reached the bottom step. “You can follow us.”

“I’ll pass.” She looked around at all of her friends. “Can Mikey come back over? I’m willing to forgive him for cheating on me with Dani and whatever other girls he's been talking to. You guys bore me.”

Upstairs, Kurt strapped his suspender carefully. He refused to strap the right one because his tattoo wasn't healed, and the fear of infection was strong. After styling his hair, he acknowledged the fact that he was ready, but he did want to get used to walking with this _huge_ plug inside of him. He was a dumbass to yap off at the mouth and agree to this but he wasn’t going to back down from the challenge now, and the idea was to have only Blaine know that there was anything inside of him at all. That would be one hell of a challenge, too.

 _I've got some damn bad intentions_  
I've got some damn bad intentions  
I got some secrets I forgot to mention  
Haven't learned my lesson  
I've got some damn bad intentions  
I see the world in 25 dimensions  
I've seen evil reign over perfection  
Blood heat over tension  
And I know...

Kurt reached for his phone and winced when he saw who it was. “Hello? I’m so sorry I didn’t respond to your text earlier but it was a crazy day.”

“And a crazy night last night, too, I imagine,” Chandler said. Kurt bit his lip as he walked over to his wallet, sliding it into his fireman’s pants.

“Correct. But what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Chandler told him. “I was just online earlier and saw an article about Blaine that I wanted to bring to your attention. As a friend.”

Kurt picked up the remote control to the plug inside him and held onto it, lifting an eyebrow at what his ex was saying. “So you’re saying you’re my friend?”

There was a laugh. “I thought we were still kind of close.”

“I don’t know. I mean after you tried to convince me Blaine had a daughter that wasn’t his…that seemed a bit malicious.”

“I misheard. I was looking out for you,” Chandler said. “I could give a crap about him but you’re still important to me—despite what you did to me.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Listen, Chandler. If this is anything negative about my boyfriend then I don’t even want to hear it. And that’s the truth.”

“I understand that,” Chandler cleared his throat. “Whether you want to hear it or not, you need to know what’s being said. I know you two like one another—”

“Love.”

“Fine,” he said. “ _Love,_ but blogs are reporting that Blaine dragged you onto the red carpet last night just so he’d get some attention. His little competition here in Ohio is coming up—”

“I’m actually on my way out the door Chandler, and if this is what you want to talk about then I honestly don’t want to hear it.”

“Just look for yourself. I’ll send you the link. I’d hate to have to tell you that I told you so one day because I know you like him for whatever reason, but if I don’t watch out for you no one else will.” Chandler stopped for a moment and Kurt shook his head, looking down at the newspaper. “I was the one who watched your back when we were getting bullied, not everyone else. Now, they’re being _supportive_ but they really aren’t. They only want to get in on Blaine and his friends’ good side so that they might—”

“Chandler, I have to go. I would say we can discuss this later but I don’t even want to talk about it. Like… at all. Ever.”

“Suit yourself. And I saw your new tattoos on Facebook. You are rushing into this a bit, don’t you think? It’s been like 4 months.”

Kurt laughed. “It’ll be 6 months in a week. But what I do with my body isn’t your concern. It wasn’t really ever any of your concern. I hope you and your boyfriend are doing well.”

“We are.”

“Great,” Kurt walked over to his door and unlocked it. “Goodnight, Chandler.”

“Yeah. Goodbye. Enjoy your party.”

Kurt hung up. He looked at the link that was in his inbox a couple seconds later before deciding to click on it. His curiosity would get the best of him, and he needed to know what was being said about them anyway. This way he could tell everyone just how full of shit they were and why.

He shook his head at the ridiculous blog entry and went to join his friends downstairs.

No need for any other comment. They were purely ridiculous.

There were sarcastic cheers as he walked down the steps and Kurt stuck his middle finger up for all of them to see, smirking at Quinn who wolf-whistled.

“Looking sexy, boys.”

Blaine nodded his agreement. They may’ve been wearing the same outfit but Kurt seemed to pull it off a bit better. Maybe he was subjective. “Hey. You alright?”

Kurt nodded to his boyfriend, smiling as he slid the remote into his pocket. “I’m great.”

Blaine smiled. “Good.”

“Alright, I say we get out of here before they start fucking in front of us.” Justin pulled out his car keys. “Santana, I suggest you drive with us.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she said, grabbing her purse and linking pinkies with Quinn. “See you boys on campus.”

Quinn kissed Kurt on the cheek and he waved goodbye to them—Justin as Batman and Quinn as Cat Woman, and Santana leading the way to Justin’s vehicle. Blaine put on his fireman’s hat and picked up his ax, turning around and smiling at his boyfriend. “You look hot, Mr. Fireman.”

Kurt smiled, moving in closer. “Thank you. You’re always so sexy.”

Blaine dropped one hand to Kurt’s hip and dragged it down his ass. “Is it in?”

“It is,” Kurt whispered into his ear. “And it feels _good_.”

Blaine squeezed his ass and kissed him on the cheek. “Then come on. It’s a bit of a drive and I want to have some fun.”

Kurt grabbed his prop wrench and walked slowly, allowing Blaine to follow him out of the door. Blaine dug in his pocket and turned the remote onto the lowest vibration setting, smiling when Kurt went ramrod straight and grabbed onto the doorknob.

“OH my god…”

Blaine turned it off and smiled. “Yeah. Tonight is going to be fun.”

…

 _I feel we're close enough._  
I wanna lock in your love baby.  
I think we're close enough.  
Could I lock in your love?

 _Now I got you in my space._  
I won't let go of you.  
Got you shackled in my embrace.  
I'm latching onto you.

Kurt looked around the large party and honestly didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t think he’d ever been in a room with that many people before, and he didn’t know if he wanted to be. This looked like a fire hazard, and the last thing he needed was for people to stare at him—the guy in the firefighter costume—if anything were to actually go wrong.

But this party did stretch over quite a bit of the campus. Kurt was currently standing in one of the music halls where upon first inspection, people seemed to be not as drunk as the other halls they passed by. People were rubbing against each other and singing along to the song playing. Santana snuck past him and looked around the party, smiling when she saw a group of girls grinding in a circle. “If you excuse me… I know where I belong.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and glanced around for familiar faces he knew. Nick and Jeff were supposedly already there with Dani and David, but with the mass of college students surrounding him right now, all in varying costumes, Kurt didn’t think he’d ever find them. Blaine was out trying to find parking, as was Justin in his car, and with Santana already getting her mack on, he was riding solo.

Or so he thought.

For the first few minutes, guy after guy came over to hit on him. Kurt rejected all of them, too, until he realized that if he said yes to one, he wouldn’t get asked by another for a while. The lucky winner was a tall blond with braces, dressed like Sheldon from _Big Bang Theory_. Kurt assumed that’s what his outfit was.

**To Blaine:**

**I’m dancing with some guy with a creepy smile but it’s only because you’re taking a long time and I’m tired of guys asking me to dance. Hurry up. xo**

“So what’s your name?”

“Kurt,” he answered, dancing along to the end of the Disclosure song. “You?”

“Peter.”

Kurt laughed a little and nodded. “I have history with a Peter. But it isn’t good history.”

The Sheldonish guy continued his corny dance moves with a smile. “We should change that. I mean, we could.”

Kurt smiled back. “This is nothing more than a dance. My boyfriend should be in here in a minute.”

**From Blaine:**

**I’ll be in in a second.**

Kurt looked up from his dying cell phone screen. “Or a second.”

“Ah. Boyfriend,” Peter pouted a bit. “That sucks. You’re really beautiful. He’s a lucky guy.”

Kurt nodded. “He is—oh! Oh… oh god,” Kurt grasped onto the taller guy and dropped his head as the toy inside of him started to vibrate. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry—”

“Are you ok, Kurt?” he asked, not knowing what to do. The last thing he needed was for people to think he drugged him or something.

Kurt smiled once it stopped and his legs stopped quivering. “Uh… yes! I’m fine. Sorry.”

Blond Peter stared at him. “Oookay…”

“May I cut in?”

Peter looked over at Blaine and nodded as he took a step back. He smiled and waved goodbye to Kurt. “Feel better.”

“Thank you,” Kurt turned his attention to Blaine and smirked, slapping him on the shoulder. "You're an asshole! That was really uncalled for. People are going to think I’m a pedophile.”

Blaine bit his lip into a smile. “How does it feel? I’m curious…”

“Good actually.” A new song began to play and Kurt pulled him closer, beginning to kiss him. “Can we go find our friends? I actually want to see what Nick and Jeff are and David has been bragging about his costume for days now so…”

Blaine nodded. “We can do that. Only if you promise to dance with only me for the rest of the night.”

Kurt smirked. “I love it when you’re jealous.”

Blaine smiled as he walked off.

 _I know, I know, I know for sure_  
Everybody want to steal my girl  
Everybody want to take her heart away  
Couple billion in the whole wide world  
Find another one cause she belongs to me

 _  
_“Watch where you’re walking, dick wad.”

Blaine was about to turn around with clenched fists but rolled his eyes when he saw it was only Justin. “Shut up. We’re looking for the others…”

Quinn took Kurt’s left wrist, sparing his tattooed hand the pain even though it was bandaged right now. Kurt reached back for Blaine’s hand and Blaine reached for Santana who really didn’t want to be removed from the girl she was flirting with, and the four of them followed Justin’s height through the party. After about five minutes of being shoved, Blaine sighed in relief when he saw a ninja at the bar waving to him. That was definitely Jeff.

“What’s up, guys? I thought you ditched us.”

Kurt shook his head at the costume but couldn’t help but smile. “You look awesome.”

“As do you two…”

“But I’m the man of the hour,” David walked over and Blaine was so frightened he literally jumped. Kurt tried not to laugh at his boyfriend, but he really couldn’t help it. Blaine was afraid of everything. The costume was amazing but it wasn’t _that_ scary.

“Are you laughing at me?” Blaine asked, staring at his boyfriend. Kurt smiled and shook his head no.

“I’m not. I just thought about something funny.”

“I’m happy my makeup caused that effect,” David said, looking like the happiest zombie ever. “Dani did it for me.”

Dani was dressed as Katniss Everdeen, bow and all, and she blushed at the kiss on the cheek David gave her. Blaine grimaced. That makeup job was done way too well and he knew he’d be having nightmares tonight.  There was a freaking eyeball hanging from the socket for crying out loud. “I do what I can,” she sang.

“You look great,” Santana told her, pretty much ignoring David. “Where’s the other short one? The one that kind of favors Blaine… they’re close friends…”

“Nick?” Jeff asked.

“Yes. Him.”

He popped up behind her in a _Where’s Waldo_ costume with a couple beers and smiled. “My outfit is kind of fitting, huh?”

Quinn laughed, pulling off his toboggan. “I like it.”

Blaine nodded too. “Pretty cool.”

Jeff took a seat at the bar, not saying much else—something that was odd for him. Justin stared at him for a while as he fixed his Batman mask.

“Everyone looks pretty awesome, but I think I’m going to go drink and dance with my boyfriend now.”

“Same,” Dani dragged zombie David along and followed them over to the dance floor. Kurt smiled before leaning against the bar, smiling at his boyfriend.

“Can I get you a drink?”

Blaine shook his head no. “I’m mad at you for laughing at me.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and ordered two drinks anyway, leaning against Jeff as the ninja stared down at his cell phone. Santana snuck off somewhere again and Nick rubbed the nape of his neck as he looked around.

“What’s up with you?” Blaine asked.

Nick shook his head no, even though it was _clear_ that something was bothering him. He started to nod along to the song and sing, too.

 _Everyday people do_  
Everyday things but I  
Can’t be one of them  
I know you hear me now  
We are a different kind  
We can do anything  
  
We could be heroes  
We could be heroes  
Me and you

Blaine smiled as he watched Kurt talking with the dude in charge of drinks. He checked his watch and saw that there was still plenty of time left to torture his boyfriend, turning the remote onto the second setting.

“I’m not surprised you have a boyfriend,” the guy whispered to Kurt, pouring him a drink. “You should call me when you want a real man, though.”

Kurt bit his lip, holding onto the edge of the bar as the plug inside of him vibrated against his prostate. Jeff felt him tense up and turned to look at him, lowering his ninja hood. He then looked at Blaine who was staring at Kurt and smirked.

Cheeky bastards.

“I’ll b-be sure to c-call you,” Kurt forced out with a smile, trying his best not to let his eyes roll back. The bartender smiled and handed the cups to him.

“Your stutter is really adorable, too.”

“So are you sure that you’re ok? You and Jeff aren’t all over one another at a party,” Blaine said to his best friend. “Parties are usually where you two get drunk and thrive.”

Nick smiled. “I think he’s mad at me, but it’s whatever.”

Blaine turned the vibration off and slid it back into his pocket. Kurt straightened up at once. “Well can I ask what happened or do you not want to talk about it.”

Nick looked around the party. He could see John and Zach from their school dancing with one another and shrugged. “He may’ve heard me talking to Ashleigh earlier but I don’t know. He won’t say.”

Blaine rolled his eyes.

“This is why I didn’t want to say anything to you, bro. You’re going to assume the worst—”

“That’s not it,” Blaine said, swinging his ax around. He looked up and saw John staring at him before quickly diverting his eyes, and Blaine sighed because he didn’t want to deal with that again. “You understand the last time I spoke to you about her, you were considering _being_ with her right?”

“That’s not true. I just told you what she and I spoke about—”

“This is for you,” Kurt said, interrupting the two of them and smiling as Blaine took the red solo cup. “Can I steal him from you for a dance?”

Blaine stared at Kurt’s chest and licked his lips. “Just give me one minute and I’ll be right over.”

Kurt nodded, taking a sip and dancing as he walked away. He grabbed ninja!Jeff and dragged him over to the dance floor, the two of them joining Quinn and Justin near the center. Blaine looked away from them and back to Nick.

“I’m not used to Jeff being unhappy, especially since you came along,” Blaine said. “So if you’re considering leaving him, or linking up with Ashleigh at any time you need to stop being an ass about it and let him know.”

Nick shook his head no and crossed his arms. “I’m in love with him, Blaine.”

Blaine stared at his best friend.

“I’m really in love with him. But when I think about things… it just seems like things would be so much easier with my daughter and the mother of my child than things are with Jeff with right now. It’d be easier on my family, and his, and my daughter could have both parents in her life—”

Blaine walked away after downing the entirety of his drink. Nick dropped his head, totally seeing that coming. Now he had two people upset with him, and when Blaine inevitably told Kurt, he’d have _three_ people upset with him. Nick removed the glasses from his face and cleaned at the lenses as Blaine went back over to the group.

“I’m getting tired of stealing you away from other guys,” Blaine said to Kurt, watching him dance with Jeff. Jeff smiled as he let go of his friend.

“Well how do you think José felt?”

Kurt laughed as Blaine rolled his eyes. “Get in here. I don’t mind being in the middle.”

“Nuh uh, you’re all mine. Don’t give Jeff any ideas.”

“Oh I’ve had plenty ideas about Kurt being in the middle already.”

“I swear to god I’ll kick your ass,” Blaine said, though his smile gave him away. Kurt laughed and took his boyfriend’s hand.

“Come here, handsome. Maybe the DJ will play that Nick Jonas song so everyone can look at you.”

Blaine pulled him close and Jeff smacked his ass before walking off. They smiled into the first kiss and moaned into the second one as Blaine’s hands found their way down Kurt’s body. “Mm. You’re beautiful.”

“If _Thinking Out Loud_ comes on, I’m going to propose,” Kurt said, grinding against Blaine as the people around them sang along to _Don’t_ by Ed Sheeran. “Think about it. We could tell our kids that we were on the dance floor surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of drunken college students, but we could only see each other. It was like no one else existed.”

 Blaine smiled, pretending he didn’t hear that. “I’m going to turn this on at the highest setting in about five minutes…”

Kurt bit his lip. “As long as the music drowns out my moans, I’ll be fine.”

“Selfies!”

Kurt and Blaine smiled as Justin held up the peace sign, catching all of them in his camera. He walked away and Blaine went back to the conversation.

“What do you say we go to the car after this?”

“After I win this bet, you mean?”

Blaine smirked. “If you say so…”

“I’d love to,” Kurt answered, moving his lips to the place near Blaine’s new kiss tattoo. Blaine squeezed Kurt ass and felt him shudder. “Just know that when all of this is over I am fucking you _so_ hard in return.”

Blaine smiled. If that was the case, everything was going according to plan.

…

“I honestly do not want to do this all night, Jeff. We came here to have a good time with our friends and I came here to unwind with you so if we can stop being so distant and do that, I’d appreciate it.”

Jeff looked up from his cell phone and smiled at his boyfriend. At least he hoped he was smiling at Nick. It felt more like a grimace because he felt more like he was being toyed with. It felt like Nick wanted to make everyone happy in this situation; him by staying in this relationship, and Ashleigh by giving her the hope that they’d be together. What was the point in even doing this if that was the case? Jeff didn't want to be in this situation at all.

He didn't know what that meant exactly. He looked around the party at all the costumed young people enjoying themselves and wished that he wouldn't have heard the conversation that he'd heard earlier. If he was ignorant to Nick’s conversation that evening, then he wouldn't have to be such a downer at this party.

“Baby… I really mean everything that I said—”

“I don't think that I want to talk about whatever this is here, Nick. Not right now and at a party. Just, go enjoy yourself.”

Nick leant against the wall besides his boyfriend. Honestly, he didn't even want to be there right now. He took off his Waldo glasses and tucked them into his Waldo shirt. “I can't enjoy myself with you here upset with me.”

Jeff shrugged a bit, otherwise quiet. A girl walked by for the umpteenth time that night and smiled at him. Nick didn't miss it earlier and he hadn't missed it this time, either. “Why don't you just go talk to her?”

“Talk to who, Nicholas?”

“The girl who's obviously flirting with you, Jeff. If I’m holding you up I mean, what's the point?”

Jeff looked away from their group of friends and turned back to the cooler full of beers. He grabbed a Heineken and picked it up. “I’m quite fine where I'm at. I don't know if I can say the same thing about the both of us but speaking for myself, I’m fine.”

“I wish you'd stop talking in circles and say what you mean.”

Jeff was quiet. Nick rubbed his hands down his face and shook his head. “I’m not walking away until we’ve at least talked about this.”

“Well what would you like to talk about?”

“I know you heard my conversation with Ashleigh,” Nick said, looking at Jeff hoping for a sign of sincerity. Right away he couldn't get anything because of this stupid ninja hood that Jeff wore. “But that conversation meant nothing.”

“Does she know it meant nothing? Because it sounds like it meant a lot.”

Nick sighed. “What I mean is—babe can you stop drinking so much?”

Jeff took the last long gulp from the bottle and placed it down. His boyfriend watched him tug his hood off and blond strands were awry beneath it.

“What I meant is that she and I would've been a ‘what-if?’ type of situation. If you and I don't work out then I suggested she and I try for Brooklyn. My daughter is important to me, you understand that, right?”

“Of course I understand. She's important to me too, because I know how much you love her Nick.”

Nick nodded as he looked around the party.

“I just wonder if you know how that makes me feel, knowing that you could have this picture perfect life with her—the beautiful daughter and the whole 9 yards, but with me your family can't stand you and Ash’s parents won't think much of you either—”

“I didn't even want you to hear that conversation—”

“You know,” Jeff bent down and grabbed another beer. “I didn't even know you and her had discussed this before, or that you'd been thinking about it for however long you have been.” He pushed his blond locks back and stared at Nick. “So when I heard you on the phone with her I was taken aback. It was hard.”

Nick hadn't replied, nor did he show a desire to reply.

“I didn't know we were going to be the couple to have secrets, but now that I do know that you've made my life a lot easier.”

“You're drunk. You're not going to remember anything you're saying so I'm not going to let it hurt me.”

“It must be good being able to turn off pain like that,” Jeff commented. “Deciding what you allow to hurt you. I wish I had that ability.”

Nick stood up from the wall. “Fine. If you want to be like this then I'm not going to beg you not to be. I tried to talk to you Jeff and you weren't trying to hear it.”

Jeff tipped his beer to him before taking a swig. Nick shook his head and looked away, wanting to walk off and feel like shit, but his legs weren't letting him. He stood there silently and though Jeff didn't seem to want to pay him any attention, he stayed regardless. After a while, his boyfriend stood up and went over to a small group of people, deciding to dance with them. Nick shook his head and sighed, falling back against the wall and feeling like absolute shit.

…

Kurt loved being ten dollars richer, even if he had to steal the remote from Blaine when they were grinding against each other on the dance floor to do it. They passed the hour mark right when Blaine was about to beg for his boyfriend to get on his knees, and Kurt smiled when his alarm went off and went over to the makeshift bar for more drinks.

Since then, Kurt handed Blaine back the remote, but his boyfriend promised to behave with it. After all, Kurt won (not so) fair and square. The partying and foolishness continued from there. Santana laughed as Blaine started to twerk on her. She pushed him away and then he stumbled into Justin who tag team twerked him with David. Kurt covered his face and laughed. He knew they were all a bit tipsy at this point, but they were hanging on. It’s just that in the state they were in, just about everything was hilarious.

Dani sipped on a little more tequila as she watched a guy staring over at them. “Kurt.”

“Hm?”

“There’s a guy over here who has the hots for your boyfriend, just so you know.”

Kurt glanced up and over at the guy. He was probably his own height with jet black hair a little longer in length than his own. He was dressed as some football player Kurt didn’t know, but the jersey was for the Dallas Cowboys, and there was no doubt that this kid was staring at Blaine.

Kurt stood up and walked over to him even though Dani tried to grab him back. He approached with a smile and a polite wave.

“Hello! My name is Kurt.”

The boy smiled. “Blaine’s Kurt. I know you. I saw you two on the blogs today.”

Kurt nodded to him and moved in closer. “Well then you know he’s taken, right?”

The guy smirked. “Is he? The article I read said you two were an organized couple for publicity.”

This was going to be annoying, having to defend their relationship _constantly_. “Well whatever it said was definitely incorrect. That’s not true at _all_.”

“My name is Vega,” the boy answered. “And you both are hot… I just have a thing for the dark guys with the smiles… he’s just hot.”

Kurt nodded in agreement. “He is. Very. But he’s also mine…”

Vega smiled. “I’m sure he is… anyway, have a good evening, Kurt.”

Kurt watched him stalk off and shook his head. Regardless of what any blog said, he was definitely Blaine’s and vice versa. The annoyance wore off a moment later when Jeff walked over and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist.

“Hey Kitty Kurrt,” he purred, smiling and bobbing his head to the beat a bit. “You miss me?”

Kurt turned around and stared at his friend. “Oh, Jeff.  It's only you. Where’s your boyfriend?”

“Probably thinking about Ashleigh,” Jeff told him. “I don’t care. Where’s _your_ boyfriend?”

Kurt frowned at that. “Wait, what?”

“Hey,” Nick walked over from behind them and stared at Kurt. “I’m sorry… Jeff, please come and talk to me—”

“I’m going to the bathroom, Kurt,” Jeff said. “I’ll see you later.”

Kurt watched Jeff walk off before staring at Nick. Nick didn’t seem to want to look back at him. “Would you like to talk about whatever is going on?”

Nick shook his head no. “Not everyone can be perfect like you and Blaine, Kurt. You can’t fix us, so don’t worry about it.”

Kurt was left speechless as Nick followed after Jeff. He wanted to be offended or to say that he and Blaine were the furthest thing from perfect, but Nick was already gone. Dani stared at Kurt with a questioning look, but he didn’t even bother to explain it. Not tonight.

And then it happened.

“ _Holy shit,_ ” Kurt stumbled over to the wall next to a couple chicks who were making out with the same guy. He leant against said wall, trying not to collapse against the floor. Besides, doing so would only shove the plug further in and he didn’t need that right now. He needed… “ _Oh god…_ ”

“Are you ok, Kurt?”

Kurt snapped his eyes open and found Liam. Liam was probably the last person he wanted to see now of all times. The intensity of the vibrations sped up and he clutched at the wall, nodding his head hard.

“I-I’m fine. I’m fine. Fuck.”

“Maybe you’ve had too much to drink. Here, let me get you to a seat—”

“Liam no, don’t touch me.”

“Kurt…” Liam watched him start to shake and his eyes roll back, and both of his eyebrows shot up. “Are you…? Are you about to?”

Kurt bit his lip and shook his head no. He was adamant. There was no way he was about to jizz in a room full of people—one of which was his fucking TA. Although he was almost certain that his dick was bulging through the fireman’s pants he wore, he refused to let Liam know what was going on. “I’m fine, I-I promise. Just got a little light headed.”

Liam watched him a moment longer. “Ok. Do you know where your friends are?”

Kurt nodded, pointing across the room. Liam turned his attention over there where Quinn and Blaine were table dancing. “Of course.”

Kurt stood up straight, wondering if Blaine was even aware of the plug being turned on. “Shit. It was nice seeing you, Liam.”

Liam smiled and reached to help him stand up straight. “Hey, I’m just happy you came. John and Zach are here, too. Have you seen them?”

Kurt bit his bottom lip and hard. He honestly felt like he’d die if he didn’t touch his cock. “I haven’t, n-no. But let them know I said hello. I think I’m about to get out of here.”

“You can’t go,” Liam said, grabbing his hand. “I dressed as a police officer, you’re a firefighter. Come on. Let’s dance…”

“I’d rather not,” Kurt took his hand back and gave a polite smile. “You were an ass to me a couple weeks ago and I don’t forget that easily.”

“Well how quickly do you forgive?”

Kurt’s legs were shaking. He needed to get this thing out of him. And now he sounded like a pregnant woman. “You were forgiven a while ago but I’m not going to forget it happened. Now, if y-you will excuse me…”

“Hey,” Blaine walked over and stared Liam down, glaring at him when he turned around. Liam smiled at him.

“Oh! Blaine. I was just checking on your boyfriend here… he didn’t look like he was doing too well.”

“Please turn it off,” Kurt said into his ear. Blaine quickly reached into his pocket and turned it off as requested, and a huge sigh of relief was released from Kurt’s chest.

“Fuck. Thank you.”

“I love the tattoos, guys… that’s pretty awesome.”

Blaine nodded to him. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, but Pace wasn't the proper place to handle it.”

“About?” Liam asked, folding both arms over his chest. Kurt sighed and looked around; his legs were still a bit wobbly but he knew he'd be able to get Justin or David’s attention if need be— _need be_ being if Blaine decided he was going to turn up right now.

“About Kurt here,” Blaine began calmly. He was poised for someone who was about two beers away from plastered. “Listen, I know you have a thing for high school guys even though you're a junior here at UCLA, and that's weird, but everyone is into what they're in to. I can't knock you for wanting Kurt at all.”

Liam laughed a bit and put both hands in the air. “I have no idea what you're talking about—”

“I'm referring to the past few months but more specifically when you approached my boyfriend and best friend in the hallway and implied that you and Kurt had at some point made out with one another…”

Kurt looked around the party. Thankfully they weren't attracting a crowd. “Babe if you’d like to handle this somewhere else another time—”

“I’m fine to handle it now,” Liam took a step closer as he spoke. “Listen, little guy. Kurt and I have our history and we’ve handled that—”

“Excuse me?” Kurt asked, wondering if he’d heard that correctly. There was no way he’d heard that correctly.

Liam changed focus from Blaine to Kurt. “I was going to be cool about it but he's getting involved in something that was between us.”

Blaine smiled and looked at Kurt. “Baby should I or will you?”

Kurt shook his head at Liam and let his hand smack across the older man’s face. Liam stumbled back a bit and there was a gasp from a girl who he bumped into as her drink spilled a little. “You're disgusting. Don't think I'm going to stay quiet about everything you've been saying about me, either. This stops here, Liam.”

Liam rubbed his cheek and glared at Kurt. Blaine smirked as their friends ran over and stood behind them.

“What happened?” Santana shouted over the music. “Do you need me to stomp someone in the nuts? This is a 5-inch heel.”

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and pulled his boyfriend away from the stare-off with their sleazy TA. “Come on, babe. This party isn’t even that fun.”

“You're _really_ going to regret that, Kurt. You will.”

Justin stared at the man before David pulled him away. The group pushed through the crowd towards the exit. John watched them go before walking over to Liam; a curious look covering his face. He started to laugh at the red mark on the man’s cheek.

“Ouch. I'm sorry I missed whatever this was.”

“Yeah. I’m on board with screwing up that piece of shit’s performance. I’m 100% on board with it.”

Zach ran over and looked between the two of them. “What happened?”

“Nothing, babe. Let me get you another drink,” John said with a smile, glancing back over to Liam. “Tonight's going to be a long night.”

…

The car windows were fogging up more and more each minute as the air cooled outside the car. Jeff could only see the blur from the campus lights around them. He licked his lips and tasted a hint of the shot he ordered before rushing out to his car—it was a strong taste, but it did help numb the pain. As Sade sang on the radio he hummed along, closing his eyes and letting the music fill his senses. The kisses on his chest made him shiver and the shivers made Nick kiss lower.

Jeff hated fighting with his boyfriend, he really did. In fact, he hated fighting with a lot of people, but specifically people he loved. He hadn’t said anything to Nick about how he felt just yet, but he hoped that his boyfriend knew he was serious. Maybe it was because he was drunk right now, or maybe it was because he was hurt by everything that had happened earlier that day, but this entire relationship was starting to feel like a joke.

And now that they were back in his car, and Nick got him to shut up long enough to lay back and let him do what he was doing now, Jeff didn’t want to bother fighting anymore. This felt amazing, anyway, and Jeff liked it when Nick did that little thing with his tongue, even if he was doing it because he’d fucked up terribly.

Would they talk about this in the morning? Maybe. Maybe not.

Did Jeff even want to talk about this in the morning? He wasn’t so sure about that. What he did know is he wanted his dick sucked and he wanted his dick sucked pronto. Who knew if he would even remember what they were about to do right now in the morning? He doubted Nick would bring it up and if he didn’t, that more than likely meant it wasn’t up for discussion.

And to think of all the people they hurt in order to be together—ex-girlfriends and families, and all of it for what? For Nick to find out that he actually had potential with the mother of his child? Fuck. Jeff didn’t even want kids anytime soon, and Nick knew that. What were they even doing?

_Plunk._

Nick lifted his head from between Jeff’s legs to see what the noise was. Jeff parted his eyes and groaned—feeling a bit thrown by the noise and a bit upset that his boyfriend stopped. Nick noticed that it was only their friends walking by, probably not knowing they were even in the car, and went back to what he was doing. Jeff closed his eyes again.

“Aren’t we going to go back inside for Nick and Jeff?” Quinn asked Justin. He sat down on the hood of Jeff’s car and shrugged.

“I would, but they were kind of antisocial tonight. Maybe they need their time alone.”

Blaine rolled his eyes as he played with his suspenders. Nick wasn’t on his list of ‘People I Approve Of’ right now. “Someone should at least call them and let them know we’re getting out of here.”

Santana tried to fix her damaged halo as she replied to Blaine. The party had gotten a bit out of hand at times and her costume had a lot of battle scars. “Isn’t Nick your best friend? You call him.”

“I’m not a fan of him at the moment.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

“Don’t worry about it beautiful.” Blaine rolled his neck and looked at a very sleepy looking Dani. She pushed his ax out of the way and sat down on the hood of Jeff’s car with Justin. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing,” she answered. “Just… that probably wasn’t a good idea, you know? Messing with one of our TAs. I don’t like him either but he’s a freaking TA.”

Blaine waved her off as Kurt played with the bandage over his newly tattooed finger, eventually replying. “I probably shouldn’t have slapped him, but he has no right to harass a student either. I’m telling the administrators at Pace all of this.”

Santana smirked at Quinn. “Someone grew a backbone.”

“We don’t let people walk over him around these parts, ladies,” David told them. “Cali is a brand new chapter.”

“And we’re very glad to hear that,” Quinn rubbed up and down Kurt’s arm. “We’re proud of you. Not so much for slapping your TA but more so for not letting anyone treat you like garbage.”

Blaine watched more people going into the party and looked down at his phone. “I’ll send a text to Nick and Jeff so they know we’re getting out of here. Where should I tell them to meet us?”

“Well we should first go to In-N-Out Burger and sober up,” David said after yawning. He wrapped his arms around Dani and Blaine moved over so that he could take his seat. “After that, we’ll take the party to Kurt’s.”

Kurt laughed. “Try again.”

“You’re going to need a bunch of us there as witnesses when your father sees your tattoos,” Quinn said with a smile. “Besides, Santana and I are spending the night.”

“And Blaine,” Blaine said.

Kurt knew that his phone was dead so he looked over his boyfriend’s shoulder to see the time on his. “Fine.”

Blaine turned back to look at him and leant in for a kiss. He smiled, trying to get his boyfriend to do the same. “Hey. Cheer up. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Kurt shrugged and looked down at his boots. “He’s going to be an asshole about this and you know it. He’ll probably get us in even more trouble.”

Blaine shook his head no. “You’re going to be fine, baby. Don’t worry about.”

Kurt looked away. He wasn’t so sure about that.

“Well I texted them. Let’s walk over to In-N-Out, guys.”

The group tiredly stood and those who were standing walked away from the campus—costumes and all, over to the restaurant.

...

In the past, Kurt wasn’t entirely used to being a host for large groups of people at his home. The most he’d done was host a movie night for a few of the Glee girls here and there, but _this…_ this was ridiculous.

Jeff arrived at 10 am with a headache. He claimed that not only was he hung over, but he was also stressed out. He needed a stack of pancakes ASAP—the type that only Kurt could make.

Shortly behind him came Mikey. He was still wearing his pajamas and had a bag packed, but the thing was Kurt _actually_ invited him over. They had plans for the day. Diesel was going to be with the Hummels for a while since baby Melody was coming home that afternoon, and Mikey was going to hang out with the two of them.

The rest of these freeloaders, though… Kurt wanted nothing to do with it. There was Santana and Quinn who spent the night, and Blaine as well, though Kurt was fine with him staying. Blaine tended to linger around, plus, he got to do him when they woke up around 4 in the morning and that was great. But all these other hungry souls in his kitchen could kick rocks.

“You ran out of coffee, Kurt.”

Kurt tossed a pack of filters over to his friend. “Get to it. You’ve been through all our cabinets. You know where things stay.”

Santana smiled sarcastically before going to make a new pot. Blaine trailed down the steps rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and made his way into the kitchen.

“Munchkin!”

“Yo!” Mikey smiled at the kiss on the cheek he got from his older cousin before shoveling even more pancakes into his mouth. Blaine stretched and smiled at Kurt. “Good morning, handsome.”

“Good _afternoon_.”

“It is 11:58 am, thank you very much. That counts as morning.”

Kurt turned around in his boyfriend’s arms and kissed his cheek. “Can I get you something to eat before you go bring home that beautiful little sister of yours?”

Quinn laughed at Jeff’s mock gagging. “They’re so domestic it hurts my stomach,” she said.

Blaine smiled, nodding his head as Kurt went back to work. “I’ll take some eggs and cheese to go, boo. Oh, and I went in the closet. It looks great.”

Kurt stiffened before turning around completely. “Blaine… you didn’t.”

“I swear I forgot, baby… but I happened to see it and it’s amazing.”

“What is it?” Santana poked her head up. “New toys?”

Blaine scoffed. “Do we look like the type of couple that would play with toys, Tana?”

“What’s wrong with toys?” Mikey asked as he wrinkled his nose. “I just got new Legos and they’re fantastic!”

Santana laughed. “I’m so in love with him.”

Kurt wasn’t going to let Santana and Mikey’s relationship flourish too much. He liked him the way he was—innocent. “I’ve been working on Blaine’s outfit for the Recon Tour and he wasn’t supposed to see it until it was finished…”

Blaine shrugged, taking a seat at the table next to a slouched Jeff. “Well I saw it and I’m not sorry. I can’t wait to show it off baby boy,” he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows before pouring himself some orange juice. He poured a little extra in case Kurt decided he was thirsty again.

Kurt smiled. “Still mad at you.”

“You’ll be fine. Where’s Nick?” Blaine asked, turning to look at the blond beside him. Jeff opened his eyes and shrugged.

“Don’t know. Can’t say I care, honestly.”

The room went quiet, save Mikey’s loud chewing and racecar sounds as he watched some TV show on his iPad. Kurt grabbed a fork for Blaine’s plate and placed it in front of him. “If you plan on staying in Bed and Breakfast de Kurt Hummel today, you better be prepared to talk about it.”

Jeff smiled. “Yeah. Ok,”

Blaine shook his head and started to eat his food. He made space for Kurt to sit beside him and smiled when the boy did just that. “Thanks for this, sweetheart.”

Kurt nodded.

Quinn went over to the sink so that she could start the dishes. Santana hopped on the counter to watch her—there was no way she was helping unless there was a paycheck involved—let’s be real. Quinn turned back to look at the group over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry Jeff. I’ve got tons of ice cream and we’ve got movies. Let’s just chill out today.”

Blaine nodded at that as Jeff tried to smile a bit. “I promise I’m fine, guys. What do you say I take you ladies to the beach tonight? I can give you some surfing lessons and get my mind off of other things.”

“I love that idea,” Santana chimed in. “I’ve got the perfect bathing suit.”

Kurt clapped excitedly. “That means you guys are going to get out of my house!”

Blaine smiled before taking another bite.

“You’re going to miss us as soon as we get on that plane, Kurt.”

He nodded to Quinn. That was probably true. “We’ll see.” He turned to Blaine and rubbed his shoulder. “So can I take you out tomorrow night? After the girls are gone…. If you think Melody will let me steal her big brother away for a little bit.”

Blaine hummed and looked up at Kurt with a smile. “I’ll consider it. Where are we going?”

“I’ve got reservations for two at the Water Grill and I thought it would be a great idea for you to unwind for a bit. Get your mind off of all the stress of competing before you go and compete. What do you say?”

Blaine placed his fork down and leant over to kiss his boyfriend softly. “I love you. And I’d love to. I’m all for it, beautiful.”

Kurt smiled widely and kissed him again. “Excellent.”

“No lips touching other lips in my kitchen,” Burt said as he entered. Mikey looked up from his iPad with a cheer at the sight of him, and the man hugged his tiny friend hello.

“Hey B-Money H-to-the-Uzzle Hummel, what’s crackin’ fam?”

Burt stared at Jeff like the skater had three heads. “What?”

They laughed and Burt accepted Jeff’s extended hand when the blond tried to give him a proper handshake instead. “Thank you. This makes a lot more sense to me.”

Blaine shook his head and went to fist bump Burt. “Good afternoon. I’ve never known you to sleep in.”

Kurt agreed with that. “Same here. But it’s good to see you getting some rest.”

Burt fist bumped Blaine and then messed up his son’s hair. He smiled at Quinn and Santana and hugged them hello. “It’s lovely seeing you two but your parents are _crazy_.”

Santana laughed. “No way, Mr. H. They trust us because we are the most trustworthy teens in the nation.”

Burt stepped back twice. “Just in case lightning strikes.”

They laughed, and Blaine pinched his boyfriend when Kurt started sipping from his orange juice. “Easy ya damn camel.”

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Burt asked, hoping to god they weren’t staying at his house.

“We’re hanging out here!” Jeff said, high fiving Mikey.

Kurt smiled at his dad. “Love you.”

Burt nodded, grabbing a plate and making himself something to eat. “Uh huh. Don’t think we’re not going to talk about those tattoos you’re refusing to let me see.”

Blaine and Kurt looked at Mikey. He smiled and shrugged.

“You see, what happened was I was telling Mr. Hummey about my Iron Man tattoo Kurtie bought me that we put on with water and he asked me why I chose to putted it on my hand and I said because Kurt got a tattoo for Blaine on his finger and I wanted mine near there too,” Mikey stopped to take a breath and Jeff took the opportunity to steal one of his grapes, “and when he asked me what I said,” Mike glared at Jeff and pulled his bowl of grapes to the other side of him, “I said that I didn’t say anything but he had heard me anyway and I said it was just a joke and that I just really like hand tattoos but it was too late, so I’m sorry but I didn’t say anything on purpose he just guessed.”

Santana looked at Quinn. “I’m going to marry him one day.”

Blaine nudged Kurt away from his lap. “I told him not to do it, Papa Bear.”

Burt took a bite of the chewy healthy bacon his son always made and then looked at Blaine. “Didn’t you go with him and pay for them?”

Blaine stared at Mikey. “How much do you know?”

Mikey smiled innocently.

“Well they’re not huge dad,” Kurt pulled his shirt down to show the tattoo on his collarbone and then revealed the one inside his ring finger. Burt looked at him for a bit before taking another bite. “And,” Kurt continued, “I can easily cover them up if need be. Ow!”

Santana laughed at Blaine’s face as Kurt tried to kiss him and apologize.

“I was kidding. Stop it.”

“Well, what you boys do is what you do,” Burt said. “I don’t care if you tattoo murals of each other across your foreheads at this point.”

Jeff shook his head and laughed. “Don’t give Blaine any ideas.”

Blaine stopped smiling. “Man, shut up.”

“That’s not nice to say,” Mikey said. Jeff nodded and smiled.

“Exactly, Blaine. That’s not nice to say.”

Kurt stood up and stretched, wrapping his arms around Quinn. “Alright. Mikey gets to pick the first movie because he’s the cutest.”

“Pick _X-Men Days of the Future Past_ ,” Jeff whispered.

“Pick _How to Whisper_ ,” Santana said.

Burt smiled. “I’m going back to bed. Don’t break anything.”

“Bye,” they said in unison. Blaine stood up and finished eating the last bite of his food. “I’ve gotta get dressed and go meet up with CJ and mommy. I’ll be spamming the chatroom with selfies of Melody and I,” he said. Everyone _awww_ d until he blushed. “I know.”

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine after he put his plate in the sink. “You should spam my inbox with selfies of something else…”

“What?” Mikey asked.

“Yeah,” Jeff said with a smirk. “What?”

Blaine smiled, kissing his boyfriend hard on the lips. “Love you, baby. Bye everyone else.”

“Later Short Stop,” Santana said, about to take a Yoplait out the fridge until Mikey coughed loudly. She looked back at him and he shook his head no. Kurt looked over at him.

“You ok?”

Mikey smiled. “Yes I am, Kurtie. Let’s go have movie day now!”

...

_Dear Mr. Hummel,_

_My name is Andrew Darby and I’m writing from Prestige Models in Los Angeles. You may be a bit confused about receiving this email but this was the best I could do, not having your phone number to get in contact with you. Facebook may not be the best place to do business, but this will have to do for now._

_Prestige Models is a highly recommended agency located in the heart of Los Angeles, California. We provide models to a wide variety of designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie, and the list goes on._

_My reasoning behind contacting you, Mr. Hummel, is to let you know that my agency is interested in making you one of our models. We’ve seen you in the news lately with Blaine Anderson and a face and body like yours isn’t one we want to pass up. I don’t know if you’ve modeled in the past, but this could be a great platform to get into other areas of work in the industry._

_Please give us a call to let us know if you are interested. Signing up would mean you are contracted with us, but the benefits are more than worth it. To further discuss this, please call me at 310-555-2020, extension 719._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Andrew Darby, casting director_

Kurt read the message twice before closing his Facebook app. He never even considered modeling and he wasn’t sure if that was even legit. Prestige was a big agency but honestly, that guy could be anyone. He’d talk to Blaine about it later.

“Can you hear her?”

Kurt smiled as he listened. “Actually, yes. I think she’s saying _I want Kurt_.”

“Oh please,” Blaine said into the phone. “She’s saying _I want to be the best girl BMX star of the galaxy_.”

Kurt laughed as he did his hair in the mirror. “We’re all about to go to the beach in a little bit. I’ll come in give the both of you some kisses.”

“You owe me like 94. Technically we’re still broken up.”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah. Sure we are. You _suck_ at breaking up if that’s the case. Quite literally.”

Blaine laughed. “You love how I suck so don’t mention it now.”

Kurt bit his lip. “I’ll see you in a bit, baby. Love you tons.”

“And I love you, gorgeous. See you soon.”

Kurt smiled. “Hang up first.”

“Not happening, buster.”

“… I guess I’m only kissing Melody then.”

“Doubt it,” Blaine said confidently.

“I doubt that too,” Cooper shouted from the background.

Kurt laughed and put the top back on his hairspray. “Whatever. I only love Melody. Her brothers are butt faces, both of ‘em.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, dick head. Now hang up first.”

Kurt laughed and ended the call. Blaine was right to be cocky. He was going to get tons of kisses anyway.


	9. Prestige LA

“You do know you can leave, right Jeff?”

Jeff opened up another fruit cup as he nodded to Kurt. He was sat on the floor of the dance studio of Pace with his legs crossed and half-done homework on his lap. “Don’t worry about me, Kurt. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

Kurt looked into the mirror that lined the entirety of the front wall, waiting for the song to begin so he could rehearse once more.

“You honestly don’t know when Liam will jump out of a fucking closet or something.”

Kurt smiled. “It’s been over a week. He hasn’t said anything to me about the slap incident…”

Jeff looked up as he finished eating, watching Kurt rehearse for his recital performance. Kurt was going to do great, that much was obvious, and the recruiters who were supposed to show would be floored by this kid.

“I was really scared he’d be out to get me or something.”

“I think he knows he was being an ass to you, Kurt.”

“Has that ever stopped Liam?” Kurt questioned.

He was right. Jeff didn’t know a lot about the guy outside of what anyone else around here knew, but he didn’t seem like the type to roll over and quit. Rumors had been going around school for a while now about him. Jeff heard he messed around with a few of the seniors, and while he didn’t know how true that was, he knew for sure that Liam was interested in Kurt. Kids weren’t so quick to gossip about it when Blaine was around because… let’s be real… they knew better. But Jeff would always hear snippets of conversations when his friend wasn’t in the vicinity. Besides, it wasn’t exactly like Liam hadn’t been forward in his … pursuit of Kurt.

“I guess you’re right,” Jeff said. He watched Kurt dancing and smiled, thinking back to when he and Nick first mentioned that they went to Pace—the day that Blaine first introduced them to Kurt. He looked so excited and now he was doing what he’d wanted for so long. “Hey…. If Julliard _and_ NYADA accepted you, which one would you go to?”

Kurt spun around and looked at his friend with a smile. “That all depends.”

“On?”

Kurt walked over to the music and turned it off. “Blaine applied to Julliard. If he gets in then I’ll—well, _when_ he does, I’ll most likely hope to get into NYADA.”

Jeff tossed his rubbish into the trash bin before returning his focus to Kurt. “So you’re saying that you wouldn’t want to go to the same college as the love of your life? I think Blaine would feel the opposite…”

Kurt chuckled and looked back into the mirror that lined the front wall of the dance studio. It was weird to be in school alone with just one of his best friends but in a way it was nice. There weren’t any snotty freshmen or arrogant sophomores running around being annoying brats. Yes, Kurt was aware that one day not long ago he was a snotty freshman, but the underclassmen at Pace were seriously entitled brats. Maybe they had a right to be since they’d been accepted here in the first place but a little humility never hurt anybody…

Even though Kurt wanted nothing more than to go home and get his weekend started, he knew he needed a little more rehearsal. Next week was the big day. In exactly 7 days, he’d know what he was made of in terms of becoming a performer and he was honestly _afraid_. No one needed to know that, though. He looked back at Jeff after hitting his triple pirouette perfectly.

“We’re going to be living together, Jeff. We’re going to be spending even more time together than we do now which is crazy to think about… sharing the bed, sharing the couch, sharing the _bathroom_ … eating together. We’ll be together all the time.”

Jeff nodded with a small smile, imagining that. That was indeed a lot of time to spend with someone, even a significant other, but Kurt and Blaine were practically one person. He wondered if he’d be single by the time he graduated high school at the rate he and his boyfriend were going.

“I want to give him space to have his own experiences at school and I’d like to give myself the same opportunity, you know?” Kurt continued. “I think that’d be healthy. And something about coming home to him is exciting.”

Jeff was quiet before his reply. One of the lights in the dance studio flickered and he looked up at it. “That does sound good.”

Kurt rubbed his palms over the front of his tights. He was beginning to get tired but he didn’t want to stop just yet. Not until this routine was perfect. There was so much riding on this. “What’s on your mind, sunshine?”

After a quick laugh, Jeff shook his head no. Talking about it probably wouldn’t help because thinking about it nonstop hadn’t done much of anything. And _wow_ had he been thinking about it a lot. When it came down to things, Jeff knew there was nothing that anyone could say that’d change things, so he didn’t even bother. “Sunshine is doing fine, Ohio.”

Kurt sighed, turning off the song playing and walking over to where Jeff was sitting. He pushed a few of the books out of the way and took a seat next to the blond, smiling at him and nudging his shoulder. Jeff smiled back, letting his head hit the wall with a _thud_. “You should tell me what’s going on. I’m 95 percent sure that it has something to do with Nick, and once Blaine talks to Nick I’ll probably hear about it anyway, so talk to me. Tell me.”

Jeff looked up at the ceiling and shook his head as Kurt started pushing and pulling him. He smiled. “Stop that. I love Nick, Kurt. …but I’m having second thoughts.”

Kurt tensed beside him and Jeff looked over at him.

“I know. Don’t say anything. It’s because of him and his daughter and the things I’ve heard him say to Ash, that’s all. It’s like, I love him, even though I haven’t told him yet, but I do.”

“That sounds like big enough a reason _not_ to give up on him, Jeff.”

“Who said anything about giving up on him?”

Kurt stared at his friend for a while longer. “ _I’m having second thoughts_ sounds a lot like something a person says before they walk away.”

“I’m not giving up on him, I’m just thinking about what’s right for my boyfriend and his family.” Jeff shook his head, knowing Kurt wouldn’t understand. “My biggest fear right now is getting my heart broken down the road because I tried to hold on to a relationship that I saw falling apart now.”

Kurt was quiet. He sat back and took in all that his friend was saying. It hurt a little after knowing how much the two of them cared for one another, and after seeing the two of them _realize_ they wanted this after however many years later. He couldn’t imagine Nick and Jeff not being together after all of that. “I think you’re just enabling him to do something he’s going to seriously regret, Jeff.” They looked at one another. “Think about it. If you give him permission to walk away for Brooklyn, then he’s going to do it because it’s easier than being in a relationship with a guy he loves. But when he’s miserable without you he’s going to realize how bad he screwed up—”

“All of this shouldn’t fall back on me,” Jeff said. “Whether we stay together or not shouldn’t be my problem when Nick is the one with all the issues.”

Kurt rubbed his neck. “I know. I’m in your corner with this.”

They sat quietly. Kurt stretched out his legs and arms, wondering just how much things would change by the time they got to New York. Over the summer he had this great vision that everyone would end up there and grow up together… become adults, start families, and everything would be perfect. Now he was realizing just how naïve his thought process could be. They hadn’t even gotten out of the first half of the school year and already plans were backfiring. "I'm sorry about all of this. Personally I think Nick loves you a lot, he just doesn’t know how to handle everything on his plate.”

Jeff remained quiet. Kurt sighed. “We’re 17, Jeffrey. 17 years-old. Maybe he’s being an ass but his situation is a hard one to be in. And I think it’s a lot easier for Blaine to get mad at him over all of this because—”

“Because if Brooklyn belonged to Blaine, you two would still be strong.” Jeff started to pack his bags. “I honestly believe that.”

Kurt shook his head no. “I don’t know about that. A baby changes things and it’s easy for me to say I’d behave a certain way, and for Blaine to say he’d handle the situation a certain way from the outside looking in—”

“Blaine wouldn’t fuck up what he has with you for anyone, Kurt.”

“I’m not saying he would,” Kurt grabbed Jeff’s hand, hoping he’d relax a little. “Hell, I had my moments of doubt coming into this and dating a playboy, but now no one can convince me that we’re not growing old together. What I’m saying to you is we can’t really judge how Blaine would handle this situation… comparing it to how Nick has been handling it. That’s a hypothetical versus the real life situation and I don’t think that’s fair.”

Jeff smiled a bit and looked down at their hands. “You sound like your fucking dad. What do you recommend I do, Ohio?”

Kurt smiled. That was a compliment if he’d ever heard one. “As a Niff shipper, I want you to talk to him and work it out.” His friend laughed. “Seriously. Besides, you two are going to end up screwing like rabbits every chance you get so you may as well work it out.”

Jeff watched Kurt get up and go over to his things. “What’re we doing tonight?”

“Well,” Kurt stretched. “My dad has a date with his lady and I have a free house. You guys can come over if you want.”

Jeff hummed. “Who’s _you guys_?”

Kurt smirked. “I don’t have that many friends. I meant you and your boyfriend.”

“My question is will Blaine want us around if you have a free house…”

Kurt laughed. “Ok, probably not. But come over anyway if you want to. I’m about to go get Blaine from the skate park if you want to ride along…”

Jeff stood up and grabbed his backpack. “Actually I’m going to bother David on campus. Maybe I can drag Nick along… so you can drive me to Nick’s house.”

Shocking. Kurt smirked. They’d end up screwing and then arguing and then going to hang out with David. “I have no problem driving you to Nick’s but promise me you’ll talk to him about what’s on your mind. I have a strong feeling he’d like to hear it.”

Jeff stretched his limbs, trying to have his tough guy face on but cracking a smile. Kurt laughed, pulling his sweat pants on over his dance tights.

…

“Seven days away until Preliminaries.”

Blaine stood at the top of the ramp and looked around the beach before sitting on his bike.

This kid was right. Seven more days until he competed at a higher level; against guys who were mostly in their 20s and had been doing this for years. Seven more days until he flew across the country and put it all on the line. He still had to prove himself to a lot of people—even more people now since he’d come out with Kurt and been labeled as a _pansy._ Blaine hadn’t really talked about it with anyone but he did see the different articles and the blog comments about him. People had been writing a lot about his decision to go public with Kurt. He knew that he would be judged but he didn’t think people would say the things they were saying.

People were assholes.

Blaine looked over to the kid beside him. He was a scrawny thing—couldn’t be older than 12. The boy held onto his skateboard and looked down the ramp. “Are you afraid at all?” he asked.

Yes.

“Nope,” Blaine told him. “You’ve been in one competition, you’ve been in them all.”

There was one article that suggested his relationship with Kurt was _fake_. They implied that it was a means to get noticed… like a cry for attention. There was another article that pretty much bashed their relationship, saying Kurt was way too pretty for Blaine and a more successful gay would come along and snatch him up. They said Kurt was most likely a gold digger and would latch onto whomever was hot at the moment. Blaine hated that something as important to him as their relationship was being publicized in this way—this was something he wanted to be proud of. His relationship with Kurt was something he thought should be celebrated. They were in _love_ for crying out loud. The fucked up thing about it was he knew if he was dating someone like Farrah, everyone would be supportive, while that relationship would be nothing but poison for him.

What sucked more than anything else was Blaine wanted to use this platform to make other LGBTQ kids proud of who they were. He’d talked to Kurt about it over the summer, after his Colony photo shoot. He was definitely proud of his relationship with Kurt. They were seventeen, had been together for half a year, and were looking forward to the years to come. Why wouldn’t they be, right? They got along great, the sex was amazing, and their families adored one another. But what was being projected by blogs and other mediums was something negative… something that someone who was on the outside looking in might see and decide that the closet is a safer place than out in the open. That fucking sucked.

Blaine wanted to do something about it. This wasn’t fair. Burt felt that arguing wouldn’t solve anything and that the best thing to do was to move on. Blaine disagreed. He _hated_ the thought of people walking all over them. What could some idiots on the Internet do anyway?

A horn honked as the 12 year-old skated down the ramp. Blaine turned to see who it was and smiled a bit when he noticed his car double parked just outside the skate park. He rode his bike down the ramp and turned to say goodbye to the kid who’d been following him around that evening.

“What was your name anyway, kid?”

The boy with the buzz cut stopped skating and gave Blaine a head nod. “Spencer.”

Blaine stood back up on his pedals. “Alright, Spencer. Stay out of trouble.”  

Kurt got out of the car, leaning against it with a smile as he saw his boyfriend rode up. “You looked like you were in deep thought… and you also made a friend.”

Blaine got off the bike and leant it against his Lexus so that he could go in for a hug. His arms wrapped around Kurt’s waist and the boy kissed him. “I was thinking about some things.  Why are you so late?”

Kurt ended up kissing him again as he put his arms around the boy’s shoulders. “I stayed at school for a little while with Jeff. Just came from taking him to Nick’s place. His little sisters say hello.”

Blaine licked his lips and looked around the neighborhood. “I’ll go over there this weekend. Want to go see Melody?”

Kurt smiled. “Of course I do. Let me take you to get something to eat first, baby.”

Blaine kissed him on the cheek and pulled away to put his bike on the rack by his trunk. Kurt got back in the driver’s side and slammed the door.

…

They went to a Chinese restaurant on East Broadway. Kurt ordered something light simply because he was as tired as he was and Blaine ordered the orange flavored beef with lo mein and 2 egg rolls, simply because he was as hungry as he was.

It was hard for Blaine not to look around and wonder if anyone was giving the two of them weird looks as they held hands on top of the table. Kurt told him about what he wanted to try in improvisation class next week and Blaine stared at a man across the restaurant who wouldn’t stop glaring at him, whispering things to the lady he was with.

“Are you listening to me, babe?”

Blaine looked at Kurt and reached for his lemonade. “I’m sorry.”

Kurt smiled. “What’s wrong, love? Let me have it. I’m everyone’s shrink today.”

“I don’t need a shrink,” Blaine said with a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Tell me what you were saying.”

Kurt bit his lip teasingly as he held his chopsticks. “Hm. Ok. Forget that. How was your music class?”

Blaine grabbed one of Kurt’s legs with his underneath the table. “I wrote a song about you.”

Kurt smirked. “Sure you did.”

“I did,” Blaine told him. “It’s beautiful and I’m going to produce it myself and record it before this semester is over.”

Kurt smiled. “I can’t wait to hear it, then. Just hope I don’t find it like you,” he stopped, dropping his chopsticks and Blaine’s hand so that he could do air quotes, “ _found_ the jacket I’ve been making for you.”

Blaine laughed, licking his lips and sitting back in the chair. “You should’ve known better than to tell me it was in there and then leave it there...”

With a smile, Kurt turned to look around the restaurant. “Fair enough.”

“We should walk down to the Museum of Art from here.”

“Walk?” Kurt shook his head no. “I just rehearsed my dance for the recital twelve times. My legs and feet are _so_ mad at me.”

Blaine pouted a little as he finished up his food. “I’ll give you a nice massage tonight.”

“You’re wonderful.”

“Hey kid,” the man Blaine caught looking at him and Kurt earlier walked over to their table—his face still a little _disgusted._ “I saw you two in the paper.”

Kurt looked up at him and then to Blaine. He faced the man again as his boyfriend simply stared. “Can we help you?”

He nodded. “I just want you to know that I have no problem with you kids doing whatever gay stuff the kids do now… I know it’s like a trend. Whatever. But I’m asking that you keep it away from this restaurant. This is a family establishment that I come to often and I don’t want this homosexuality to be seen by my children.”

Blaine looked up at the man. He was probably in his late 40s and was dressed in an ‘ _I love Long Beach’_ t-shirt with faded jean shorts. Right now, he represented so many of the people that Blaine knew he’d have to deal with for the rest of his life, all because he sat here holding hands with Kurt. He represented a lot of the dickheads who spent their times on blogs talking shit about their relationship because they either weren’t happy in their own lives are were just raised to hate what was different. Kurt began speaking and Blaine turned to look at him.

“My _boyfriend_ and I have just as much of every right to be here as you and your family do. I’m not sure if you’re aware but you have no right to kick us out of here. Our money is just as good as yours is.”

The man stared at Kurt for a moment before smiling. “I’m trying to be polite—”

“You’ve got 5 seconds to get away from us before I whip his cock out and start sucking it,” Blaine said. “Now think about whether or not you want your perfect, straight family to see that.”

Both the man and Kurt stared at Blaine like he’d lost his mind, though Kurt started to smirk after a second. Blaine went back to his meal and then looked up at the man.

“Five. Four. Three. T—”

“Fags,” he said, walking off and back in the direction he came. Kurt watched the man walk back over to the table he was at with a woman who had little to no reaction and two young kids—probably the ages of Nick’s siblings. They both stared over at Kurt curiously and he shook his head a bit sadly before looking at Blaine.

Blaine was fuming.

“I’m going to ask for the bill so we can get out of here. Is that ok?”

He nodded, putting his hood on and grabbing the car keys from his pocket. “I’ll go pull the car up front. You need to let me know if anyone tries anything.”

Kurt waved for the waiter as he smiled. “I’m a big boy, Blaine.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

His boyfriend looked across the restaurant to the balding asshole from earlier and then at Kurt before walking outside. The man was quiet but did glare back at Blaine as the waiter made his way over to Kurt.

“We’re going to go. Can I have the bill?”

The waiter shook his head no and Kurt questioned how good his English was. Even if it was minimal, ‘the bill’ should be a universal term. After all they did want to get paid, right?

“No…?” Kurt lifted his eyebrow.

The waiter pointed over to the front of the restaurant where two elderly women sat. “Jan and Liz. They pay for you.”

Kurt looked to be a bit confused as he observed the two women. They each had on a wedding band, but they ate quietly. Quietly but contently. Kurt heard his waiter saying something so he looked back over to him.

“Can I wrap for you?” he asked, gesturing to the food.

Kurt stood up and shook his head no. “It’s fine. Thank you.” He walked towards the exit, focusing less on the man that’d asked them to leave because they were gay and more on the two women who’d paid for their meals. When he reached their table, the older one looked up and smiled.

“Oh. Hello young man…”

Kurt gave a shy smile as he noticed Blaine’s car pulling up in front of the restaurant. “Hi. My name is Kurt… and I… thank you? For paying for us… you didn’t have to do that.”

Both ladies smiled at him. “This is Liz and I’m Jan, her wife. We didn’t have to pay but we wanted to, so don’t you worry about it.”

Kurt smiled at them. “Your wife? Wow. How long have you two been together if you don’t mind me asking?”

“As if our wrinkles don’t tell our ages enough?” the blonde, Liz said. Kurt smiled as they laughed. “Fifteen years and going strong, but we’ve been married for two.”

“You’ve got a beautiful thing with that boy of yours,” Jan said. “I can tell he’s a handful just by looking at him. But, “but aren’t we all?”

Kurt nodded, a smile on his lips. “That’s true. Thank you again for doing that. I guess you saw what happened…?”

This time it was Liz who spoke. She added crispy noodles to her soup and smiled. “Larry is an asshole. Always has been. You just focus on you and don’t let anyone like him convince you that you’re wrong.”

Kurt nodded again.

The horn honked from outside and Jan smiled at him. “Don’t keep lover boy waiting, Kurt. You have a great evening.”

Kurt looked at the both of them again. After giving a small wave he started to walk away. “It was lovely meeting you both. Thanks again. For everything.”

The ladies smiled and so did Kurt. He walked over to his boyfriend’s car and quickly got in next to him, strapping in and smiling at Blaine. Blaine was still a little ticked off as he put the car into drive and pulled out of the lot. “Everything ok?”

Kurt nodded. “Everything’s great. A nice lesbian couple just paid for our meals. They’re married.”

Blaine turned to look at him.

“Sweet women. I should’ve called you back inside to meet them.”

“I wasn’t going back in there,” Blaine replied. Kurt looked at him.

“You don’t have to be Mr. Grumpy Face, Blaine.” He noticed that his boyfriend was driving in the opposite direction of home, headed towards the ocean in fact. Kurt looked out of the window and counted the palm trees as they passed. “Where are we headed? It’s getting late…”

Blaine shook his head and remained quiet for a while. “I just wanted to sit here and think.” They pulled up to the ocean and he put the car in park, sitting back and taking Kurt’s hand. His boyfriend smiled at him as he undid his seatbelt.

“If you want to talk about whatever it is, I’m here. You know me.”

Blaine nodded at him. “Of course. Let’s just watch the sunset, though. Then we can go be with Melody and get some rest.”

There was something up and it was painfully obvious. They held hands a little tighter before Kurt turned away and stared out at the ocean. No one else was around besides the owner of the car that had just driven by, and Kurt loved how serene this part of town was. They lived near the beach where everyone was all the time, but here it was just peaceful.

Kurt smiled.

Blaine looked over at him and moved in a little closer, kissing his cheek twice. “Why are you so happy? I hope the answer includes something to do with me.”

“The answer is always you,” Kurt said softly. “But I just remembered something that I had meant to tell you but didn’t. It’s silly, and I never replied to it, but I’m thinking I might. It could be fun.”

Blaine kissed him again and pulled back, looking at Kurt’s faint freckles. “Oh? What is this _it_?”

Kurt looked from the water to his boyfriend’s lips and smiled. “Are you familiar with Prestige Models? They’re based in LA…”

Kurt smiled and nodded.

Blaine shook his head no as he moved his hand down Kurt’s chest, lower to his stomach. “Nope. What about them?”

“I got a message from them,” Kurt told him with a smile. And then Blaine’s hand was over his crotch and he smirked, wondering just what he thought he was doing. “Really?”

Blaine’s eyebrow arched curiously as he looked at his boyfriend. “What did they say to you?”

Kurt moved Blaine’s hand away and sat up a bit, reaching into his sweat pants pocket for his cell phone. “Here. I’ll read the email out loud.”

His boyfriend was patient as he waited for Kurt to pull up the letter. He didn’t even know what this was yet but he didn’t exactly like the way it sounded. Not with everything that had been going on lately.

Kurt cleared his throat. “ _Dear Mr. Hummel,_

_My name is Andrew Darby and I'm writing from Prestige Models in Los Angeles. You may be a bit confused about receiving this email but this was the best I could do, not having your phone number to get in contact with you. Facebook may not be the best place to do business, but this will have to do for now._

_Prestige Models is a highly recommended agency located in the heart of Los Angeles, California. We provide models to a wide variety of designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie, and the list goes on.”_

Blaine stared out the front of his vehicle at the calm, blue water. Kurt continued.

“ _My reasoning behind contacting you, Mr. Hummel, is to let you know that my agency is interested in making you one of our models. We've seen you in the news lately with Blaine Anderson, and a face and body like yours isn't one we want to pass up. I don't know if you've modeled in the past, but this could be a great platform to get into other areas of work in the industry._

 _Please give us a call to let us know if you are interested. Signing up would mean you are contracted with us, but the benefits are more than worth it. To further discuss this, please call me at…_ then he give me the number and extension, yadda yadda,” Kurt said. “ _Thank you for your time, Andrew Darby, casting director.”_

Kurt locked his phone and then looked at Blaine for a reaction. He didn’t get much, though. Blaine was staring out the window, still quiet, but he tapped on the steering wheel a little as he sat there.

“So what do you think…?” Kurt finally asked.

Blaine licked his lips and then looked at Kurt. “What do _you_ think?”

Kurt shrugged. “I don’t know. Things are a little crazy now and I have a lot going on but a fashion model? That sounds like it could be a great gig. It’s not like I want to turn down any of the awesome perks that comes with it either. You know how I feel about clothes.” He smiled.

The excitement on Kurt’s face was evident, but still, Blaine shrugged. He looked out the window again. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“What?” Kurt questioned with a chuckle. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Besides the fact that we’ve got a lot on our plates, think about what everyone’s been saying about us and our relationship on those blogs,” Blaine began. “If they say things like that and then next thing you know, you’re modeling, it’s not going to look good.”

Kurt gave him a dubious look and his voice reflected his confusion. “What are you talking about? What are people saying?”

“I mean about you using my name to accomplish your goals, babe. I don’t want people believing that.” Blaine started the car up and reached for his seatbelt. “And that Darby guy just wants to use you for a quick buck anyway.”

Kurt stared at him but Blaine wouldn’t bother to look back. “Since when did it matter what a bunch of people in front of their computers thought about our relationship, Blaine? You and I know the truth and that’s all that matters.”

Blaine put the vehicle in reverse and backed out of the spot. “Put your seatbelt on, baby.”

Kurt kept staring at him. “And _he’s only using me for a quick buck?_ Are you implying that I’m not good enough to do this? That they’re only interested in me because of my affiliations with you and what it could get them?”

“Here we go,” Blaine smiled sarcastically as he pulled over at the side of the road. He finally turned to look at Kurt and they both kept their eyes on one another. “You asked me what I thought about it, Kurt. I think that I don’t want you modeling because not only do we know nothing about the guy that sent you that message, but getting into an industry like that is an obligation you have to keep. They’re probably going to make you sign contracts and all of this Pace shit you’ve worked so hard for—this school you damn near killed yourself to get into, what’s going to become of that?”

Kurt scoffed and turned to face front, reaching for his seatbelt. “Don’t make it sound like it’s about that now. You think that if I were to get into modeling it would make you look like an idiot for being with me, right? Because people would talk and say I’m using you…”

Blaine rolled his eyes away and put the car in drive again, pulling off.

“That’s fair. Maybe part of it is that you actually believe what people are saying—”

“That’s bullshit.”

Kurt shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was quiet for the rest of the ride. Blaine was too.

…

Melody was falling back to sleep when Blaine walked through his front door. Kurt was closely behind him, and Clarissa held a finger to her lips as they closed the door behind themselves. “She’s giving me a run for my money, I’ve gotta say.”

Kurt smiled at Blaine’s mother as he walked over to the nook where she sat. Melody’s fists were balled up and pressed in close to her face, and one of her socks were half on. He placed a quick kiss to Clarissa’s cheek before fixing the sock over the infant’s foot. “How are you?”

Clarissa smiled and looked up at him. “A bit hungry. A lot sleepy. But blessed, Kurt.”

Kurt felt Blaine standing on the other side of him as he looked down at Melody. “I can go and pick you up something to eat if you’d like?”

The woman shook her head no as she rocked her newborn slowly in her arms. Blaine kissed his mother in the hair and she smiled before he kissed Melody on the fist. “I’ve got some soup Cooper made for me earlier that my lovely Blaine will warm up for me, right?”

Blaine nodded his head yes and walked off to the kitchen. Kurt watched him, as did his mother. She looked at Kurt curiously, silently waiting for an answer. Of course, she didn’t get one. Prompting was necessary. “You want to tell me what’s up with him?”

Kurt shook his head as he looked down at Melody smiling in her sleep. The little girl was too beautiful for words. “We had a long past few hours, that’s all. May I hold her for a little while?”

Clarissa chuckled softly. “Please.”

Kurt carefully took Melody from her mother’s arms and cradled her securely, smiling as he walked over to the living room sofa. He rocked her back and forth and hummed softly. It was amazing being able to hold this little life in his arms…she was still so tiny, but the most precious thing he’d ever held.

Blaine felt his mother’s presence entering the beach house kitchen before he’d ever heard her. He stopped stirring Cooper’s random soup that he usually made with chicken and whatever he could find that looked _healthy_. Clarissa tiredly leant against the island and looked out at Kurt with Melody. She loved the open-concept kitchen—being able to be in there but see out into the rest of the first floor. Blaine turned around and looked at his mother for a while.

“I know you’re going to ask, and I’m fine.”

Clarissa smiled as Blaine captured her focus. “Nope. I was just looking at your boyfriend holding your baby sister. He’s a natural and I’m looking for a babysitter…”

Blaine stared out at Kurt too. The sight was a little bit too much for him, thinking about having a family with this man one day and all. “Kurt’s probably going to be too busy for that but if you say it loud enough he’d consider dropping out of school.”

His mother laughed. Blaine could tell by the soft melody of what Kurt was humming, it was _Love of the Loved_ by the Beatles. “How’re you healing, ma?”

“I’m getting there,” Clarissa answered. “I’ve got to be back at work in 2 months so I’m trying to take it easy. Feeling good.”

After turning off the heat on the stove, Blaine grabbed a bowl and put some soup in there for his mother. “I hope you’re getting rest…”

“I am, old man.” She smiled, and Blaine walked over with the bowl, placing it in front of her. “Your sister sleeps just enough for me to get a nice sized nap. She cares that much.”

“She takes after me.” Blaine kissed her cheek when she laughed. “Eat up. I’m going to check on those two.”

“Ok, sweetheart.”

 _So let it rain, I'll never care?_  
Deep in your heart, I'd still be there.   
And when I'm there   
I see the love of the loved. 

Kurt sang softly as he held Melody. Her breaths were gentle and she would still smile a little every few minutes. It was adorable.

Blaine took a seat next to him with his bottle of water in hand. He was looking down at his little sister and Kurt smiled, humming now. “She has your ears, you know.”

Blaine nodded. “Sexy ears.”

Kurt smiled. “I’m going to get home, though. I’m feeling a bit tired and Diesel will want to go for a walk and I am _dying_ for a shower.”

Blaine brushed his little sister’s curls away from her forehead. “Yeah. I’ll take you in a minute.”

Kurt nodded. He heard Blaine’s phone go off and saw the reaction Melody had to it, flinching a bit in his arms and her eyes blinking open, but after a while she drifted right back to sleep.

“I’ll put her in the bassinet.”

“Alright,” Blaine reached for his phone and read the message as Kurt got up.

**From: Nick**

**Can you hang out at my place tonight? Unless you have plans with Kurt, then I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.**

Blaine heard Kurt saying goodbye to his mom and typed out a reply.

**To: Nick**

**I’m going to drop Kurt off at home and then I’ll be right over, bro. See u in a bit**

…

The ride home was awkward, too. They weren’t really talking and Kurt knew that they should eventually, because he had a lot more to say. But right now, they were both tired, and sleeping on it would be better than saying something they’d regretted and making matters worse.

Blaine pulled into Kurt’s driveway and put the car in park. Kurt finished yawning and undid his seatbelt as the One Direction song went off. “Thank you, Blaine.” He turned around and grabbed his bag from the back seat and before he could tell his boyfriend he loved him, soft lips were pressed against his. Kurt smiled into it and laughed a bit when Blaine pulled away.

“Wow. Ok. Thanks for that too.”

Blaine licked his lips and grabbed Kurt’s bag for him. “Let me walk you inside and say hey to Diesel.”

Kurt nodded.

A minute later, he had his front door unlocked. The sound of the dog’s footsteps could be heard running from the back of the house and Blaine placed Kurt’s bag on the floor as he bent down to greet his dog hello. Kurt smiled at the two of them, closing the door behind himself and turning on the wall lamp. “I told my dad he’d have no problem getting over that gate he put up.”

Blaine smiled. “That’s my boy…you show Papa Bear who’s the boss…” Diesel jumped on Blaine and Kurt shook his head as the two wrestled.

“I’ll get his leash.”

“Just let him out in the backyard,” Blaine replied. “He can entertain himself. And I want to talk to you.”

Kurt rubbed his neck and nodded ok.

They both spent a little bit of time out back with Diesel, playing with the huge ball of energy before heading back inside. Blaine followed Kurt back inside to the living room, taking a seat on the couch. He put his feet on the coffee table and slouched back, tapping his feet together. Kurt took a seat towards the middle of the sofa after he checked the time and saw that it’d probably be another couple hours before his father returned home from his date with Amber. Tomorrow, he had plans with Blaze. Since things were getting serious and he was realizing that they’d probably be stepbrothers soon, Kurt demanded the kid neglect studying and come to Long Beach for the weekend. He looked at Blaine who seemed to be in his own little world and sighed

“What do you want to talk about, babe?”

Blaine turned his head to look at him. There was a staring contest before he finally gave a response. “I hate it when we’re mad.”

Kurt nodded, rubbing his palms together. “Ditto.”

Blaine licked his lips out of habit before moving over on the couch, closer to Kurt, and leaning in to kiss his boyfriend. He parted his lips when Kurt moved in and met him half way, giving him permission to take things further. Instead, they pressed their lips together softly and Kurt let his eyes flutter closed for a while, enjoying the feel of it. Just like the first time, the hairs stood up on the back his neck.

Blaine pulled back and kissed along his jaw. “Make love to me, baby.”

Kurt smiled as he watched his boyfriend’s hand lifting his shirt up, shaking his head no. “You said you wanted to _talk._ I’m not doing anything before we talk.”

“Why not?” Blaine asked him, pulling Kurt closer and finally running his hand up his abs and chest when the boy stopped resisting. Kurt looked over at Blaine beside him and leant in for a quick kiss, leaving it at that before it could get too heated.

“Because,” he said.  “If I do, then we’re going to fuck this problem under the rug and I don’t want that to happen. I want to talk about this…”

Blaine sighed and sat back. “I said what I said and I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should do it.”

Kurt nodded. “Alright. That’s fair, but I think it’s a great opportunity and I’d like to do it.”

Blaine shook his head no. “I’m not on board with it, Kurt.”

“That’s fine, but I’m not asking your permission.”

Blaine looked into the blue eyes staring at him as Kurt continued.

“It would be nice to have your support, but I want to talk to the guy and at least get a little more information. It’s not fair that because some assholes think something that’s not even remotely true, it would affect your support of me.”

Blaine nodded. “Alright. So my opinion and how I feel don’t matter...”

Kurt shook his head, scooting away from him.

“I support you in everything else, but I don’t feel good about this.”

“Why not?” Kurt asked him. “This doesn’t make sense to me. If you’d gotten this opportunity, I’d be so happy for you. Yet with me…”

Blaine looked away.

“Is this because I’d be in the spotlight— _probably?_ We don’t even know that much yet. Are you trying to protect me from people saying something negative about me? I honestly don’t care about that stuff anymore, Blaine—”

“I know you’re strong enough to handle yourself—”

“Then what’s the problem?”  

“I just don’t fucking want you doing it,” Blaine said. The way he raised his voice elicited a look from Kurt that made Blaine roll his eyes away. “Fuck. Kurt… I don’t want to share any more of you than I already have with the public. The little bit we gave them of us they tainted. I want you to respect that.”

Kurt sat there for a moment before kicking off his shoes. His boyfriend began to rub his face before exhaling into his hands. “Fine. Because some mean people we don’t know feel negative about our relationship, I won’t do anything that’d make you look stupid for dating me, Blaine. Forget I even brought it up.”

Blaine was still quiet, staring straight ahead at the blank television screen.

“And I don’t think our relationship is tainted, but it’s good to know you feel that way.” Kurt went to stand up, reaching for the remote. “I’m going to get in the shower. You can watch TV if you’d like.”

The TV came on and Kurt placed the remote back down on the coffee table. Blaine didn’t even bother looking at it. He shook his head and stood up as well, grabbing his boyfriend’s arms.

“Nick wants to hang out for the night so I’ll be over there.”

Kurt was silent as he nodded. He didn’t look Blaine’s way as a _Law & Order SVU _rerun played on television. “Alright, Blaine.”

Blaine watched him a while longer before deciding that he didn’t want to leave like this. He let go of Kurt’s arms and instead moved his hands lower, untying the drawstring of the Pace sweatpants he wore. Kurt looked down at Blaine’s hands.

“I love you, Kurt.”

His response was to look up and smile, leaning in to kiss Blaine quickly. “I love you, too. Tell Nick I said hi, okay?”

Blaine nodded, looking down at Kurt working on stepping out of his sweatpants. His dance uniform was on underneath—the tight black pair of leotards, and Blaine licked his lips, rather upset that he wasn’t in the boy’s dance class.

But of course Liam would get to see him like this every day.

“Eyes up here,” Kurt said teasingly. He kissed Blaine again when he looked up and grabbed him by the shoulders, about to lead him to the door. “Go be with your best friend. I have studying to do anyway.”

Blaine let Kurt push him about five steps before he stopped walking entirely. He moved his hand to Kurt’s wrist and turned around, pulling him in close and wrapping both hands around the boy’s waist. They walked backwards to the couch again and Kurt’s eyebrows arched as a smirk covered his lips, Blaine’s hand moving down to his waist.  “I guess my words always fall on deaf ears with you…”

Blaine buried his face in the crook of Kurt’s neck as he stood pressed into him. The tights Kurt wore clung to his body and Blaine took his time exploring the smooth fabric covering his boyfriend’s ass and thighs. “You must think I’m an asshole.”

Kurt bit his lip as Blaine grinded into him, feeling the boy’s stiffening cock slide against his own half-hard one. He dropped back onto the sofa after stumbling over his shoes and Kurt let his hands fall beside him, watching Blaine drop to his knees. “Sometimes you can be. Right now you’re just stubborn.”

Blaine unbuttoned Kurt’s sweater and pushed up his t-shirt. As he kissed over the boy’s navel, the salty taste of Kurt’s skin lingered on Blaine’s lips. He found his palms running flat up to the boy’s chest and then down his body again; Kurt lifting his hips to help Blaine pull down his tights and underwear. With it getting dark outside, the faint light from the television and wall lamp at the door were the only light sources they had at all. Kurt watched Blaine pull his pants to mid-thigh range and start to kiss across his midsection. He bit his lip, running his fingers through messy curls.

“I still want you to fuck me, baby…”

Kurt looked down at him, sighing as Blaine started to kiss the length of his cock. He still wanted things too… like support, and for Blaine to be happy that someone would even think enough of him to offer such an opportunity. But we can’t always get what we want.

Blaine started going down on Kurt right there on the sofa, on his knees, slow and deep like he knew Kurt loved it. His boyfriend was quiet, but the encouraging hands in the hair and small thrusts up said that he was into it. Blaine licked around the head and kissed down the vein for a moment, spreading Kurt’s legs a little wide to play with his balls. That gave him a reaction—the tiniest _ah_ from Kurt’s parted lips, and he smiled while he cupped them, sucking him again.

“Fuck,” Kurt whispered, watching through the dim light as Blaine’s head bobbed up and down in his lap. He placed both hands on the boy’s shoulders and squeezed, letting his head fall back against the couch.

 “You know how tight I am, Kurt.” Blaine rolled Kurt’s nuts in his hands as he said it. “Don’t be stupid because you’re upset with me. You know how hard you cum when you fuck me, Kurt.”

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s wrist, moaning as he pulled the boy’s hand away from his balls. If that continued, he’d definitely be coming a lot sooner than he wanted to.  “Take your pants off.”

Blaine lifted an eyebrow as Kurt stood up. He lost his balance a little and leant back into the coffee table as his boyfriend headed over to his book bag by the doorway, rifling through the backpack for something. Blaine stood up to his feet to watch, pulling his polo shirt off and tossing it to the floor. The room got much brighter after Kurt flicked on the living room light.

Kurt grabbed the lube he kept in his bag and adjusted his pants and underwear down to just beneath his ass. He was stroking himself lazily as he worked on opening the lubricant with his teeth. Blaine swallowed, looking at Kurt from head to toe. He stared at the tattoo on his collarbone for a while, and then at his cock; pink at the tip and long, his thumb running over the vein.

“You’re still dressed.”

Blaine’s fingers unsnapped his jeans, and he kicked off his sneakers before pushing the denim down to his knees. He watched Kurt rubbing the lube over his cock and licked his lips at the way Kurt threw his head back and sighed. Blaine touched himself for a moment as he stared. He looked around the living room, wondering where Kurt was going to fuck him.

“What time is your dad back?”

Kurt walked back over to the sofa, hand still on his cock. “He’s not here now and you asked to be fucked. Get back on your knees.”

Blaine looked down at the carpeted floor before a hand was on his shoulder, urging him down. He dropped to his knees, pushing his jeans lower to around his shins as Kurt knelt down behind him, pressing two cool fingers to his entrance.

“Shit,” Blaine leant onto the coffee table and looked back at him before facing front again. Out the corner of his eye, he could see clear to the front door. Clear to the front door was where Burt could walk in at any given moment. If he walked in, he’d be able to see his son fucking his boyfriend on the living room floor. That would be a definite problem—“ _Oh_ …”

Kurt held onto Blaine’s shoulder with one hand as he pushed the two digits in deep, curving them and stretching as best he could. After a few minutes, he added another finger and rubbed down Blaine’s back, nice and slow. Blaine sighed, leaning on both his elbows. He arched his back as Kurt rubbed his prostate with the tip of his fingers, teasing it a little more each time. When Blaine started to beg, Kurt pulled his fingers out and lined up, his cock pressed against Blaine’s hole, sliding in inch-by-inch.

Blaine was biting on his tongue when Kurt started to push in. He could feel his boyfriend’s nails pressing into his rib cage as Kurt held him; Kurt’s head thrown back and a chorus of _fuck_ leaving his lips. Blaine didn’t know what it was, but he definitely had a thing for Kurt being inside of him. Topping was great, no doubt, but this right here—having Kurt lose his mind as he tried to push in and moaning because Blaine was always so tight for him—this was what he loved. “God.”

Kurt was halfway inside when he felt Blaine tighten around him. _Shit._ He looked down at the boy bent over the table in front of him, watched Blaine’s tight hole pucker as he pushed in the rest of the way, and exhaled as his toes curled. Blaine was mumbling and gripping the edge of the table as he tried to slide back onto Kurt’s cock. After biting his lip, Kurt pulled back slowly and thrust in hard, fucking Blaine right there on the floor.

“Ah… fuck.”

The remote fell off the coffee table. Blaine’s body slid forward, moving the table along with it. Kurt scratched his nails down the boy’s back, resting his hands just at Blaine’s waist when he began to thrust forward. In and out. Deeper and deeper. His cock would disappear inside of him and his eyes threatened to roll back every time he felt the heat squeezing the base of his cock, but he was just getting started.

Diesel made a noise outside that made Blaine jump up, but Kurt grabbed the nape of his neck and pushed him down again. “Hold onto the table, Blaine.”

“Fuck,” Blaine stopped leaning on his elbows to get up on his hands. He arched his back as Kurt pumped into him. The rug burn on his knees would be a bitch but the way every nerve ending on his body was on fire right now made him care a lot less about that. “Fuck. Fuck.”

Kurt dropped his hands down to his side and watched with a smile as he effortlessly moved in and out of Blaine. It always took a couple minutes to get him this open but once Kurt could fuck him this easily it was heaven. He put his hands on his own waist and grinded in, slowly then quickly, hard and deep. Blaine dropped onto his elbows again and Kurt shook his head, stopping completely.

“Don’t stop,” Blaine said softly, reaching for his cock and holding it at the base. He rolled his hips against Kurt as the boy ran his hands up his back and to his shoulders. “Fuck me, love.”

Kurt buried his fingers in his boyfriend’s hair and pulled until Blaine was leaning on his hands again. He licked his lips and stayed like that for a while. “Let’s get up.”

Blaine looked back at Kurt as he cupped his balls. “Yeah.”

Kurt slowly pulled out and stood up. As he did so, he pushed his tights down a quarter of the way. Blaine was slow to his feet but stood up, wrapping a hand around Kurt’s waist and pulling him close. He went in to kiss Kurt’s lips and tippy-toed a bit, biting on the bottom one. Though he never admitted it aloud, Blaine knew his boyfriend had a thing for biting. The moans said it all.

Kurt slowly kissed him back before pushing Blaine down on the sofa. He bent over and pulled his jeans and boxers all the way off, dropping them on the floor somewhere and climbing on top of his boyfriend. Blaine smiled as he saw Kurt leaning in to kiss him, opening his mouth and gladly accepting the tongue that parted his lips immediately. They moaned softly and Blaine arched his body, wrapping his legs around Kurt’s waist and pulling him in.

Kurt was a goner and he knew it. Sure, he was still upset and he felt he had right to be, but all he could focus on right now was the tight heat surrounding his cock and lighting every inch of him on fire. He pushed in further, bottoming out and making Blaine throw his head back. When the boy grabbed at the sofa for leverage, Kurt smirked, kissing Blaine’s neck tattoo and lacing their fingers together. He thrust in and Blaine gasped—his head hitting the arm of the sofa.

“Fuck, yes.”

Blaine’s grip around him tightened and Kurt could do nothing but bury himself deep inside his boyfriend. He had one hand squeezing Blaine’s ass and the other holding the boy’s hand, pinning it into the arm of the couch as he slid in deeper. God. And then again, deep, their breathing labored and his toes curled. Kurt pressed Blaine into the sofa and moved his hips back, his cock sliding out before he thrust in again. It was hard enough to make Blaine groan and to knock something off the table behind the couch.

“Fucking tight,” Kurt moaned into Blaine’s ear. He bit the lobe and squeezed the boy’s ass harder, fucking him slowly. “This is what you wanted, right?”

Blaine held Kurt’s hand tightly, the other wrapped around his shoulders. He could do nothing but nod and moan and enjoy every bit of what was happening to him. Was it bad that he was already thinking about doing this again after he came? Because there was but so much longer he could last with Kurt hitting his prostate like that, and pressed against him so closely that the friction from his body rubbing against his cock was going to make him bust a nut between the both of their bodies.

Kurt began to move faster, a sign that he was close. Blaine scratched down his back as their tangled legs rubbed against one another’s. Kurt slid his hand up Blaine’s thigh and lifted one of them higher as he leant up on the couch, moving in and out to the rhythm of Blaine’s quick breaths. “Oh fuck…” Kurt let go of Blaine’s hand and moved it to his dick, stroking it lazily as he fucked the boy on the sofa. “Shit, Blaine. Shit.”

Blaine bit his fist as his toes curled in the air. Between Kurt’s hand on his cock and his cock hitting his spot on every stroke, he knew he was about to cum and forget his fucking name. They both whined as Kurt sped up, smiling when he felt Blaine’s stomach start to clench. “Come on, Blaine.”

“God,” Blaine arched his back and slapped at the side of the couch repeatedly, his legs shaking. He tried his best to hold on for at least two minutes. “It feels so good…”

Kurt stared at his lips. “Oh god, I know… oh god.” He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt himself get closer, thrusting in against Blaine’s lovely ass four more times before pulling out. They both grabbed their own cocks and started jerking off, Kurt leaning over Blaine, the tips touching. “Yes….”

Blaine gasped, watching as his own cum covered the palm and fingers of his left hand. He was struggling to stay awake at this point. “Fuuckkk….” He kept stroking himself even though his body shook and he was getting rather oversensitive. “Yes…”

Kurt watched his seed fall all over Blaine’s abs and then rubbed the tip of his cock against the boy’s hip, all while struggling to catch his breath. He licked his lips and patted him on the waist. “Fuck, Blaine.”

Blaine smiled, looking down at himself. They’d barely undressed all the way. “Fuck is right.”

Kurt stood up, though his legs were weak and it wasn’t hard to see that. Blaine watched as he gathered his shoes and clothing, gesturing to the stairs. “I’m going to go get in the shower.”

Blaine nodded, trying to sit up so he could start grabbing his things. “Can I at least get a cloth or something to clean up with? You came on me and my hand’s a mess, too.”

Kurt waved goodbye. “You know where the bathroom is down here.”

Blaine watched his boyfriend disappear upstairs as he shook his head. He smiled to himself and then winced, forcing himself to get up, clean up, and then leave.”

…

“Why are your knees so red? They’re kind of bruised, bro…”

Blaine put the PS3 controller down and looked at his legs, rubbing them a bit. Nick sat across the room on a beanbag chair, a bowl of popcorn between their legs.

“Ow,” Blaine mumbled.

They had been together for about an hour now. After Blaine left Kurt’s place, he went back home to shower, took the Melody night-shift until Cooper came home from his commercial shoot, and then headed over to Nick’s side of town. It was good to be back here, too. Even though his best friend’s little sisters were annoying, he missed spending time over here. His dad would sometimes have to remind him that he had his own home. Blaine smiled at the memory. “Kurt decided he was going to screw me on the floor and I got rug burn.”

Nick smiled. “Sweet.”

“We kind of argued over something stupid tonight.” Blaine picked up the remote control and pressed play on the game. There was something about Call of Duty that was therapeutic, which was ironic… but still. “Well, it wasn’t stupid but it wasn’t worth fighting over, I don’t think.”

Nick ate a little bit more popcorn even though he was full. After eating what Jeff left him of the pizza and then eating Jeff, he didn’t have much of an appetite. But stress did this to him. He guessed stress did it to most people. “If you want to talk about it, I’m right over here. Five feet across the room...”

Talking. Blaine _hated_ talking. He dangled his legs over the edge of the bed as he started a new online game. “After seeing pictures of Kurt and me in the paper… or online, somewhere, I don’t know,” Blaine began, mumbling tiredly. “This guy from Prestige Models in LA emailed him to offer him a modeling contract.”

Nick watched Blaine respawn on the video game as he nodded, looking over at his friend. "Prestige Models… they’re pretty big. That’s great. So is he doing it?” Nick grabbed some more popcorn. “We both know Kurt is pretty freaking gorgeous.”

“He’s not doing it,” Blaine answered. “I told him I’m not ok with it, and while he argued with me at first, I think he respects where I stand.”

Nick waited for the rest of it. There had to be more. Anyone with a pulse could tell an offer like that wouldn’t be something Kurt _Fashion Trend_ Hummel would refuse. He shouldn’t have to, right? “Wait… you told him he _couldn’t_ do it? Like you’re his father or something?”

Blaine mashed buttons on the controller, killing someone and running into the building. “No. Like I’m his boyfriend who doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“Right now,” Blaine began. “Right now I’m just not at the stage where I want us _both_ to be in the public spotlight. Think about it… all I did was take Kurt out and introduce him to the world as my boyfriend for what… an hour and a half? That hour and a half of being out and proud with Kurt earned us a multitude of assholes online… shit, this gun is shit.” He started mashing buttons harder and chewed a little on his gum. “We have so many haters saying things like ‘Kurt’s using me’ and ‘Kurt’s going to climb the ladder and find someone better’ or ‘I’m using Kurt for the publicity’ to help with my career. Do you think I want him in the public anymore? I never thought…” Blaine trailed off, staring at the screen and firing bullets. Nick looked away from him and at the video game. “I never thought I’d regret outing us for a second, but maybe staying hidden and keeping what we had to ourselves wouldn’t have been a terrible idea. He’s so precious to me.”

Nick placed his popcorn bowl beside him and sat back on the beanbag chair. He ran a hand through his dark hair and thought about all of that. “Man.”

Blaine finished the match and laid back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. “I know.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“Why the hell not?” Blaine said, smiling. “You always are, aren’t you?”

Nick stood up and pulled off his shirt. “Well I think that you’re a little bit insecure. On top of that, you’re living in a fairy tale land.”

There wasn’t a response to that as Nick tossed his shirt over to a messy pile of clothes on the floor. He sat down on the bed and Blaine rubbed his face, trying to stay awake. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You have been my friend for… what? Ten years?”

Blaine didn’t answer, simply turning to look at him. Nick folded his legs on the bed and stared back.

“In those 10 years, I’ve never known you to care what anyone thinks about you. Well, except for Cooper Sr. and sometimes Donnie.”

“I care what people have to say about my boyfriend.”

“Kurt hardly cares,” Nick said. “You care, though. And the question is why?” he pushed Blaine over so he could grab his remote and then turned the video game off. “Is it because you believe there’s some truth in what they’re saying?”

“Fuck no.”

“Then what is it?”

Blaine shook his head and sat up, staring at the wall straight ahead. “This is bullshit, Nick. I’m not about to get preached at by you of all people.”

Nick smiled as he looked for something to watch on TV. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Blaine grabbed his phone and shook his head. Part of him didn’t want to but he did it anyway, scrolling through his contacts and clicking on his boyfriend’s name. There were about 15 heart Emojis in front of Kurt’s name and Cooper always teased him for it. “I don’t even know if you and Jeff are together or if you’re just fuck buddies.”

**To: Kurt**

**Hey. I know it’s late but are you up?**

Nick turned on _Shameless_ and laid down. “I think you’re bringing up Jeff and me because you know that you’re in the wrong. Besides,” he stretched out on the bed, “I told Jeff I fucked up and that I want to make things work with him. He doesn’t believe me but I’m working on convincing him of that.”

Blaine looked back at him.

“Want to see the new pic of Brooklyn that Ash sent me today?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, taking the extended LG phone from Nick. He looked at it and laughed a little, shaking his head. “Shit. It looks like you spit her out, she’s damn near your twin.”

Nick smiled proudly. “We’re working on getting her here for the holiday and I want Jeff to spend some time with her. With the both of us.”

Blaine nodded, his own phone vibrating. He looked at Brooklyn’s photo a little while longer before handing the phone back over to Nick and checking his message. “Let me know when that happens because you know I want to meet her.”

“Of course.”

**From: Kurt**

**I’m up now.**

Blaine lay down at the foot of the bed.

“What’re you doing tomorrow? Promo, right?”

**To: Kurt**

**I’m sorry for waking you. Plans tomorrow? Maybe I can take you out after work**

He yawned and nodded. “Something with X-Sports and ESPN. Shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

**From: Kurt**

**I told David and Jeff I’d ride up to UCLA and hang with them for a while. Blaze is coming, too**

“Sounds fun,” Nick yawned too. They were contagious after all. “I miss the craziness sometimes but I don’t think I’ll ever ride again. I’m going to be taking acting seriously.”

Blaine smiled. “You’re going to be the next Leo DiCaprio, huh?”

Nick nodded. “Yup. But I’ll actually win an Academy Award.” He smiled when Blaine swung a pillow at him. “Ouch. It’s true.”

**To: Kurt**

**Maybe I can see you in the morning then. And I’m getting a feeling you’re still mad at me**

**From: Kurt**

**Not mad. Tired. Long day, baby. Can I meet up with you tomorrow night?**

“Hello?” Nick answered his phone and rolled over onto his stomach. Blaine could tell it was Jeff by his best friend’s tone alone. And they called _him_ the pathetic one.

**To: Kurt**

**Ok. Yeah, tomorrow night works.**

**To: Kurt**

**You better not be mad at me…**

**To: Kurt**

**I can still feel you and it’s making me want more.**

“My dad wants to meet up with me one-on-one,” Nick said on the phone. Blaine got up to turn the lamp off and lay down next to him. His knees were still sore and he wasn’t even going to discuss the dull pain in his ass.

**From: Kurt**

**I’m going back to sleep. I was dreaming about fucking you in a pool before you interrupted me. Goodnight.**

Blaine smiled and shook his head.

**To: Kurt**

**That’s not nice.**

**To: Kurt**

**Kurt. Don’t say that and then stop replying.**

**To: Kurt**

**Asshole. Goodnight.**

…

The next morning, Kurt wasn’t so quick to wake up. He didn’t know whether it was because of the stress from the day before—tests and rehearsals as well as the things he discussed with Blaine, or if it was because the sex was so good he could barely stand in the shower, but whatever the reason, he woke up exhausted.

He sent a good morning text to Blaine and the reply that came through was a picture of his boyfriend and Melody. Kurt smiled at the photo as he got ready to go hang out with the guys. The first task was his morning skincare routine, followed by an outfit selection, followed by hair doing, and he thought about at least eating cereal but food could be bought while they were out.

It wasn’t long before Blaze pulled up outside. He could hear the rumble from the boy’s motorcycle while he was tying his boots and smiled as he ran to get a jacket. From here to LA would be the furthest he would go riding the motorcycle his father reluctantly bought him for his 17th birthday, but Kurt was ready. He could operate any vehicle like a professional. It ran in his blood.

He hugged Blaze hello before going into the garage for his navy blue motorcycle. He smiled at the autograph on his helmet—he made Blaine sign it for him, teasing that one day he’d sell it on eBay for tens of thousands. It was then that Kurt realized he hated being in _tense_ predicaments with Blaine even more… he couldn’t go five minutes without thinking of something beautiful that happened between them at some point. Of course he could text Blaine if he wanted to, but he didn’t know how he felt about everything that happened. Besides that, Blaine would be busy with Donald working to promote his appearance at the Recon Tour.

It wasn’t long before Blaze and Kurt were riding their bikes on the highway up to Los Angeles. After an hour, they pulled into David’s campus and parked outside his dorm building. UCLA was beautiful—probably like this year round, too. But Kurt would trade sunny SoCal for the grimy, city streets of New York in a heartbeat.

It didn’t take long for Jeff to come running out with Justin shortly behind him—something that made Kurt squeal as he pulled off his helmet and ran over.

“I thought you were staying in Ohio until Blaine got there on Friday!” Kurt hugged him tightly and Justin laughed as he tried to breathe.

“I was going to but my sister asked me to come home. Something about dad… I’ll be there later,” he said, looking at Kurt when he pulled back. “You have helmet hair.”

Jeff slapped five with Blaze as he held his skateboard in the other hand. “I guess I’m invisible.”

Kurt smiled as he tried to fix his hair, turning around and going to kiss Jeff on the cheek. “You’re never invisible, Jeffrey. Sorry.”

“I didn’t even know you still existed,” Justin said to Blaze with a smile. “What’s up, man?” they shared a quick hug and Blaze pulled back, shrugging.

“I know… Sorry, but you know me, focusing on school. Music and sports are keeping me busy even though I’m not starting on the team yet.”

Jeff dropped the skateboard and hopped up on it. “Well you are a freshman. Give it a couple years.”

“Exactly,” Blaze laughed and put his helmet down on his motorcycle seat. “Anyway, what’s up with you guys? Why isn’t anyone competing any more except for Blaine?”

“And where’s David?” Kurt asked, looking around campus and up at the tall dorm building.

“Pretty Boy is still getting ready,” Jeff shook his head. “But usually none of us compete during the school year, but since Blaine’s doing so well and people are throwing money at him to endorse their products, his uncle decided maybe he could handle the responsibility.”

Blaze nodded. “I’m happy he’s doing well.”

“Do you two talk at all?” Justin asked. “I mean… since your whole brotastic reunion?”

Kurt looked at his friend as he shook his head no. “I do a bad job of keeping in touch with people,” Blaze admitted. He smiled at Kurt who gave him an obvious look. “But I’ll try to do better.”

David walked outside with a wide smile on his face, putting his shades on. “Beautiful day, fellas. Beautiful day. There’s a 20% off sale at Bloomingdales on all duffle bags over $500!”

Justin rolled his eyes as he pulled out his car keys. “You have to be a prostitute because there’s no way you have that much money to spend on a fucking bag.”

Kurt hugged David hello and laughed at Justin’s mumbling. “He’s buying a bag for me. Don’t be silly.”

…

After a few hours of shopping and hanging out in LA, touring the city and meeting some really strange people, Kurt found himself walking down La Cienega Blvd. He hadn’t meant to be so uninvolved in the day’s festivities but he really was tired and honestly he missed Blaine. Justin asked him 100 times what was bothering him, and David asked 101, but it was Jeff who got him to crack.

“You should take your arm from around me,” Kurt told the skater, looking around at the stores they passed. “I don’t want someone to take a picture of us and then say I’m cheating on Blaine. He’s sensitive to that stuff nowadays.”

Jeff chewed on his Air Head candy and swallowed before looking at Kurt. “I’m sorry… what?”

Blaze smiled at the girls walking by, shaking his head when they giggled. He faced Kurt and Jeff and arched an eyebrow. “Please say this has nothing to do with those dumbass articles I’ve seen on gossip sites only 13 year-olds read.”

David looked inside of his Bloomingdale’s shopping bag to check for his receipt. When he saw it he added his comment. “I have to say, a lot of people at UCLA read those sites. I heard some whispers about Kurt and Blaine after the articles but mostly people saying the blog posters were full of shit. I don’t see the big deal.”

Jeff moved his arm from around Kurt as they crossed the street. “Neither do I, but I’m guessing there’s a big deal here?”

They ended up back in front of the SUV and Kurt leant against it instead of getting in. “You guys know Prestige Models?”

David nodded like it was the most obvious thing. “They’re the agents for Tyson Paige, Mathias Lauridsen… they used to represent Joan Smalls and you’ve seen how she blew up.”

Blaze simply shrugged. “I guess they’re pretty good… what about them?”

Kurt stared at Blaze before sighing, wondering if he should say anything at all. Justin looked at Kurt and cleared his throat as he waited for an answer.

“Earth to Kurt.”

“Alright,” he looked up at the bright sky. “After Blaine and I were photographed together, a man from Prestige named Andrew Darby reached out to me via email. He says he wants to offer me a modeling contract and that I should get back to him.”

Jeff nodded, eyes going a little wide. “Wow. That’s pretty awesome. And what did they say when you got back to them?”

David’s mouth was dropped. “Think about all the free shit you can get now! Think about all the free shit you can get _me_ now!”

“Hold your horses.” Kurt laughed and shook his head as Justin leant on the truck next to him, their shoulders touching. “I never called him. I actually neglected to mention it to anyone at all because with everything going on… school, working with my dad, rehearsing for recitals and the college anxiety—”

“Sexting Blaine in class,” Jeff added for him. “And holding your book bag over your lap like no one knows what’s going on.”

Kurt stared at him. Blaze smiled.

“Jesus.”

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter now,” David said. “I mean I get that you had a lot on your plate but dude, this is Prestige. Think about all of the people that started out as models and then branched out into other things like acting, singing…”

Justin hummed and nodded. “There’s something he isn’t telling us though.”

Kurt bit his lip. “Well.”

“Is that why you’re such a Debbie Downer today?” Jeff asked with a smile. “Oh my god. Your dad doesn’t want you to do it…”

“Why wouldn’t Burt want him to do it?” David asked. “Burt loves fashion.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Blaine’s the one who’s against this.”

Everyone went quiet. Blaze folded his arms and looked like he found that pretty believable.

“Wait…” Jeff pushed back his hair, knowing he needed to cut it soon. “Blaine doesn’t want you to model? Why not? You’d think he’d be all over that.”

“Is it because girls are going to hang your pictures up on their walls and touch themselves at night?” Justin asked seriously. “And boys, too.”

“That’s not it,” Kurt shook his head and stood up straight. “I … he gave me a few reasons but mostly because he doesn’t want it to mess up our relationship.”

They fell quiet again as the wealthy people of Beverly Hills walked up and down La Cienega Boulevard around them. Someone’s phone began to ring but whoever it belonged to ignored it… Kurt thought it was Jeff’s. Hopefully Nick wasn’t calling. “Don’t all respond at once?”

David licked his lips and looked off down the block. “I’m going to speak for myself when I say that’s utter bullshit.”

Justin looked away too. “I’m not getting into this.”

“We should let them handle it,” Jeff said. “I mean, I don’t like the idea of you not doing something you want to because of your boyfriend but Blaine’s my friend so I want to get his side of this.”

“Does his side matter?” David asked.

“I think,” Justin began. “If Kurt said that he didn’t want Blaine doing something, he wouldn’t do it.”

Blaze looked at all of them. “I didn’t ride for hours just to watch you guys argue over this.”

“I actually have asked Blaine not to do something he likes,” Kurt told them. “Because I thought that if he competed during the school year he’d fuck up with his classes and then I’d be in New York while he stayed here for summer school. But so far he’s doing great—”

“Come on,” David pulled out his cell phone. “We’re taking a headshot right now.”

Kurt opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again, Justin turning to look at him. “I –no. My hair’s a mess—”

“We’re taking the picture and then we’re driving you to Prestige and you’re going to apply.”

Jeff shook his head. “This won’t end well.”

“Then,” David continued, ignoring the skeptics. “You’ll have your father sign a consent form and you’re going to model in the fashion industry. Blaine’s going to see it and be proud.”

Kurt looked at Blaze who was quiet. The teen shrugged as he paced back and forth. “If you want my opinion, you should let Blaine know you’re going to do it. Don’t blindside him,” Blaze said.

David nodded. “As long as you do it. Shit,” he walked over to Kurt and began to fix the collar of his shirt, “if you let Blaine tell you that you can’t do something because if you do it’ll ruin you guys, then he’ll say that all throughout your relationship. It’s not fair.”

Justin nodded before standing up. “I think it would be awesome seeing you succeed, Kurt. But it scares me to think of you two arguing…”

Kurt looked down at the tattoo on his ring finger—Blaine’s name written there. He thought for a moment. Did he like that his boyfriend wanted to stop him from doing this? No. Did he want to go behind his back and do it anyway? Not at all. But, they were in Los Angeles. Kurt deserved to at least meet up with this guy and see what he was all about. Blaine would most likely end up loving the photos anyway, because he was Blaine and he was totally supportive.

God, he hated fighting with him.

He stood up straight and looked at David’s camera, smiling a little bit.

“No smiling,” David held the phone up, aimed at Kurt, swatting with his hand so Jeff would move out of the frame. “Look serious. A little seductive, a little teasing.”

Kurt thought about how to do that for a moment and made a face in response.

“You look like you have gas,” Blaze told him. Jeff snorted.

“Maybe I’m not going to be good at this after all.” Kurt leant back against the car. “I probably shouldn’t even be doing it.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Just… give us sultry. You can do sultry.”

David nodded. “Pretend we are all huge containers of Yoplait Greek Yogurt.”

Kurt laughed before shaking his head, but when he straightened up, he gave David just the look they were asking for.

Jeff smiled. “Hot.”

“Ok,” David took a couple. “We’ll stop at Walgreens to print these and then we’ll head to Prestige. Call Darby and let him know we’re on our way.”

…

“So you’re Anderson,” one of the guys at the photo shoot said. Blaine didn’t know his name, but he had seen him before. “You’re the one with the new boyfriend.”

There were only about 15 BMX stars here out of the many that were competing. Blaine was the youngest to be in Recon Tour, and he was the one who was getting the most judgmental looks. Everyone more than likely knew of him because of his dating Kurt rather than his success in Long Beach.

“That’s me,” he said.

The guy smiled as the photographer snapped their picture. “Okay. Congrats, I guess…”

“Thanks.”

Another rider looked over at Blaine before facing the camera again. His name was Todd Kingston and everyone projected him to be the winner. He was 24 and had quite a few titles under his belt. “So you were serious when you told those reporters you’re dating him? Wow. I thought it was a joke.”

“Alright, guys. In front of the Recon Tour backdrop now, please.”

Blaine walked over to the backdrop as a lady ran over to fix his curls. They told him his hair was unruly and he needed lots of spray. It was fucking annoying, but not any more annoying than the people around him were being.

“You didn’t hear my question, Brian?”

Blaine looked over at the tall red head. “My name is Blaine. And I heard you. I’m choosing to ignore you.”

Todd looked at the other riders around him as they laughed, and he smiled. “The rookie has spunk.” He turned back to Blaine. “I like you, kid. Not like you like cock… but I mean I like you. You’re entertaining.”

Blaine faced the cameraman. “Yeah. Whatever.”

Todd laughed with those around him as the camera started to flash. One of the directors came over with a production assistant and tried to adjust the man’s vest. “We’re about to do the one-on-one promo photos for the competition,” the director said. “Blaine, you’ll be up first since your manager has to get you to your ESPN interview in a little while.” They decided whatever was wrong with Todd’s vest was fine now and the lady looked at Blaine. “That means you won’t have as many frames as everyone else, but you’re a handsome guy. You can make it work.”

Blaine nodded, unaffected by it all. The director walked off and the photographer shouted some directives at them.

“ESPN interview… nice,” Todd said. “I have a feeling they’ll talk to you more about you being gay than about anything you can do on the vert… Way to take attention away from us, kid.”

“And it must be nice having a legend like Donald Kinsella for a manager,” the one Blaine didn’t really know said. “You can ride on his back and get into huge competitions like these. Heavens knows you’re not good enough to ride with the big boys, Blake.”

Blaine tried to ignore him, doing what the photographer instructed. He folded his arms over his chest and looked straight ahead when Todd stood in front of him like he wasn’t even there. The camera flashed and Blaine rolled his eyes, nudging the taller man over.

“Excuse me. Watch we’re you’re standing.”

Todd stumbled back into another guy and laughed. “Sorry, bro.”

“Focus!” The director clapped her hands until all the riders looked forward. Blaine exhaled hard, unclenching his fists. “We’re doing a few more shots of you and then you guys can take 15 but I need you to be a little bit more mature. Is that possible?”

The guys all nodded and Blaine tried his best to ignore everyone around him, looking at the photographer for instruction. The man bent down on one knee and took another shot as all the bikers did their poses.

“Nice tattoo…” the guy said this time.

Blaine looked over at him. “What’s your name?”

He smirked. “Jamie…”

“Well can you please shut the fuck up?”

Todd snorted, putting both hands in his pockets.

“Soften up your face,” the photographer shouted before snapping another photo. Blaine nodded to him and relaxed.

“It’s probably hard to not be tense when your ass is in pain,” Craig George, the guy who’d come in third place last year, whispered.

Blaine turned and walked over to him, pushing Todd out of the way. The guys laughed as Craig and Blaine stood in front of each other, toe to toe. As the production assistant and photographer ran over to break it up, Blaine smirked.

“It’s going to be so much fun destroying all of you at Recon. All of you.”

“You’re adorable. Go run off to your uncle—”

“No one even knows who you are so you can shut the fuck up,” Blaine said, walking off towards where the security guard was escorting him.

“We honestly wouldn’t know who you were if you hadn’t admitted you were a fag, Brian!”

The director could be heard in the background saying something but Blaine was disinterested, looking for his uncle so he could take these final few solo pictures and get the fuck out of here. He wasn’t in the mood to do any interviews. He wasn’t in the mood to be anywhere but in his room, dead to the world. The security guard placed a hand on his shoulder and led him into the green room area, pointing inside. Blaine fixed his shirt and walked over to where his uncle was seated, having a conversation with a couple other guys.

“What’s wrong with you?” Don asked when he walked over.

Blaine shook his head no. “I’m done in there. I have to do solo promotion shots now.”

Don stared at him for a while before standing to his feet. “Ok. Well are you ready?”

Blaine nodded.

Don excused himself from the group and nodded for Blaine to walk ahead of him. “You don’t look your happiest today.”

“I’m fine,” Blaine told him. He headed over to the set where he’d work one-on-one with another photographer and grabbed a bottle of water. “Just can’t wait until this competition is done with.”

“You’ll do great.” Don rubbed his back and patted it for good measure. He watched Blaine take a long gulp and smiled. “You’re stressed though. After a good night’s rest you’ll be fine. Cool?”

Blaine nodded. “Yeah.”

…

**To: Blaine**

**I haven’t heard from you… I don’t mean to text so much but I’m wondering if we’re still on for tonight.**

**To: Blaine**

**If you text me back and I don’t reply, just call. I probably fell asleep. Or you can come over when you get the chance. Hope your day went ok, babe.**

Kurt put the phone down on the couch next to him and leant back, letting his eyes close. Diesel jumped up onto the sofa and put his head in Kurt’s lap, and Kurt didn’t bother to tell him to get down. He was too tired for that.

His father sat in his recliner looking over the contract Kurt and his friends presented him with at the shop earlier that evening. He didn’t know how he felt about his son being in any type of industry at his age. Sure, 17 was pretty much grown, and as Blaine often mentioned ‘ _we can legally get married in some states at this age, you know_ ’ Burt honestly didn’t care. Technically, 17 was still a child. Kurt was still young and he still had other priorities to focus on now, school being one of them.

Even with that being said, he didn’t want to deny his son the opportunity to experience it. It wasn’t like Kurt would be some supermodel in Paris or Milan, he’d just be starting out with ads for a few designers. At least that’s what he said he’d be starting out with first, but Kurt also explained to him earlier that there’d be room for growth if more of Prestige’s clients requested him. At the end of the day, that was the goal, right?

“It doesn’t say how much you’ll be making here…”

Kurt opened his eyes and looked over at his father. “I’m not guaranteed to make anything just yet, dad. Basically,” he petted Diesel and sat up a little. “Prestige will represent me and book me gigs, but it’s up to me to get hired by … I’ll start small. K-Mart for instance.”

Burt laughed. “You in a K-Mart ad. Your mom would love that.”

Kurt sat back again. “After I book a job, then Prestige takes out their part…”

“I see here they charge you 20% and the client 20%,” Burt said. “That doesn’t include taxes. So,” he looked over at his son. “That’ll leave you with 60% before taxes.”

Kurt nodded. “I think walking away with 60% is the most I’ll get since I’m a newbie. That’s what most agencies in NY and LA offer according to David. So basically, all that depends on Prestige finding good opportunities for me, sending me places, and me being good enough for the client to be in their photo or commercial or whatever.”

His dad nodded. “David really wants this for you.”

Kurt smiled. “David wants free Burberry. But I would like to do it…” he trailed off. “Even if they’re only interested in me because of who Blaine is, then so be it. I could use some experience, and the opportunity to branch off into other areas.”

Burt read through the contact again and nodded, his reading glasses on the tip of his nose. Diesel moved to try and sit on Kurt’s lap and he laughed, scratching his back.

“You’re way too big to be a lap dog, Deez. You know that.”

“I’ll sign it.” Burt grabbed the pen from behind his ear. “But I’m going to be involved in this. When they send you anywhere… I don’t care if it’s a toothpaste ad or one for Macys, I want to be there. And if I think you’re too good for the job they send you to, then you’re not doing it. You don’t need to model underwear.”

Kurt smiled tiredly. He was a lot more excited about this than he led on but he was just too sleepy to actually show it. Having his father in his corner with this was huge, though, and Kurt wanted to spend more time with the man somewhere other than at the shop and in the living room. This could be great for the both of them. “Thank you _so_ much—” They turned their heads when the door opened and in ran Mikey, Blaine closing the door behind him. Diesel jumped off the couch and then _jumped on_ Mikey, licking the boy’s face. Burt laughed as he signed his name at the bottom of the consent sheet. “Hey, fellas.”

Blaine bent down to say hello to his dog before walking over to Kurt, kissing him hello. Kurt smiled, even though he could tell something was wrong. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he sat on the sofa next to Kurt and memories of last night made him smile a bit. God, Burt would kill them if he knew. Awkward. “Hey, Papa Bear.”

Burt dated the document and then sat it down on the table as he said hello. Kurt watched him, his eyes looking at the contract and then up again at Blaine. “How was your interview? It airs on Monday, right?”

Blaine nodded as he took his boyfriend’s hand, laying his head on his shoulder. “It does. It went okay. I thought they were going to shower me with questions about my relationship but they only asked a couple questions and went on with the important stuff.”

Kurt looked down at their fingers. “Our relationship is important.”

Blaine realized what he said and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant they asked what I came there to talk about.”

“Kurtie,” Mikey got up from the floor and walked on his knees over to where Kurt sat. “Come with us to the beach! Neal is there already.”

“Oh yeah,” Blaine sat up. “We’re going to the beach. There’s a pretty cool firework show and Cooper and Jasmine are doing BBQ.”

Kurt looked at the time. “It’s 9 at night…”

“You go ahead. I’m going to look over this contract some for loopholes I may’ve missed and decide whether or not I should rip it up.”

Blaine looked at the paperwork, about to ask what the contract was for when Kurt stood up, pulling him with him. He found his eyes focused on lips that were moving in to kiss him and kissed back, watching as Kurt told Mikey to get Diesel’s leash. “You can tell me about your day and why you haven’t been returning my texts.”

Blaine smiled. “My day was filled with idiots.” He said goodbye to Burt who was on his way to the kitchen with Mikey who wanted ‘a Jell-O cup for the road’ and started to walk with Kurt to the door. “I’d much rather hear how things went with Blaze… oh and Justin texted me before my phone died earlier to let me know he was back… and that I should ask you how your day went. That part was weird but. Yeah. How’d your day go?”

Kurt tensed a bit at what Blaine said as he got Diesel’s leash himself. Mikey was no help. The dog sat patiently in front of him as he attached it to his purple collar. “Well we had fun and it was nice that Justin surprised us by showing up. Did some shopping, you know. The usual.”

Blaine yawned and took the leash from his boyfriend. “Wish I could’ve joined you guys instead.”

Kurt opened the door as Mikey came out with his snack and a plastic spoon. He called out goodbye to his dad and they all walked out together. As always, Diesel tried to speed off ahead of them but Blaine held onto the leash tightly, making him calm it down a bit. They got to the end of the block when Kurt took both Mikey’s free hand and Blaine’s free hand. “You should tell me how it went at some point.”

The crossed the street and Blaine waited for Diesel to do his investigation of every tree they walked by before pulling him along. “Let’s just say if I don’t win this competition, I’m going to be highly, highly disappointed in myself.”

“You’re going to kick butt,” Mikey said. Kurt smiled and looked over at Blaine, nodding in agreement. “I’m taking little man’s side on this one.”

Blaine smiled. “You always take his side.”

Mikey walked just a little ahead of them next to Diesel. He petted the dog as they went down the quiet block, jumping a little when fireworks went off not too far away and lit up the sky. Blaine smiled at him, looking up at the beautiful colors and squeezing Kurt’s hand a little tighter.

“So are we ok?” Blaine asked.

Kurt looked away from the fireworks and smiled at his boyfriend. _You can just mention that you’re going to do the modeling with Prestige. The contract isn’t even long-term._ “We’re good.”

Blaine smiled. “Good.”

…

**_Hey, Kurt. This is Andrew Darby with Prestige Models. I’m sorry for calling so late on a Sunday. When you get the chance, give me a call back at my cell phone, 310-555-9792. I just want to follow up with you and see if you have any concerns about the contract and let you know we have a Tommy Hilfiger shoot coming up that I want to send you and another of our models out for if you’re ready. Again, that’s 310-555-9792._ **

Kurt played the message twice before putting his phone down. He placed his phone down on the dresser and lay on his stomach, looking straight ahead at the wall. Blaine was on the other side of him—he’d just snuck over like he sometimes did when he couldn’t sleep, and got in bed with Kurt.

The TV was on but neither of them were watching it. Blaine was in the middle of a Fun Run 2 game on his iPhone while listening to _Kiss Me_ by Ed Sheeran. Kurt had been sleeping on and off, but the movement on the bed from Blaine every once in a while caused him to wake up.

Their weekend went by without a hitch after the little disagreement. Kurt hoped that it would stay that way. This week was a big one for the both of them. Blaine had to be in Ohio in a few days to qualify for Quarterfinals. If he didn’t get that far, he’d be a joke. (Blaine’s words, not Kurt’s. Never Kurt’s.) Kurt had his recital on that same day and there was a lot riding on that, but even more than the recital, he was going to LA with his dad at some point the next day to finalize the deal with Prestige Models. It was a short-term contract with the option for an extension if Kurt was happy at the end of it. If not, he could walk away without issue.

The reason he was having trouble sleeping may’ve been because of all of _that._ He was afraid he’d get stressed out and then start to break out. That wasn’t an option. As he closed his eyes, Kurt shivered a bit because cold hands were touching his back. He smiled after a moment when Blaine kissed his shoulder.

“You okay?”

Kurt nodded. “I’m fine. Trying to fall asleep.”

Blaine looked at the time and saw that it was late. They had school in the morning. Ugh. “I would offer to sing to you, but then I’d still be awake and I’d be all alone.”

Kurt turned back over onto his back and looked into hazel eyes staring back at him. He smiled and leant up to kiss him. “What do you propose we do?”

Blaine moved in again, close to the boy’s ear. “I say you turn back onto your stomach again and let me… help you sleep.”

“Hm,” Kurt smiled. “Can I ask what you have planned?”

Blaine started to roll him over again and it wasn’t long before Kurt felt lips on his shoulder. And then they were going down his spine, kissing gingerly; Blaine’s hands rubbing over Kurt’s bare ass. Kurt folded his arms over the pillows and closed his eyes, biting his bottom lip as he arched his back. As Blaine kissed down to the small of his back, licking in straight patterns over the smooth, pale skin there, Kurt wondered what modeling agencies thought of representing guys who often had hickeys like… _everywhere._

“Blaine,” Kurt moaned, spreading his legs a little wider. Blaine groped both halves of his ass in his palms and moved his tongue from bottom to top, teasing the crack of his ass. Kurt grinded against the mattress and sighed as Blaine buried his face flickered his tongue over the hole. “God, I love you so much…”

…

**From: David**

**How’s it going?**

Kurt was sitting in hair and make-up _still._ The guy he was with… Carl, was his name, was a professional at this. He was 20 and already had five years’ experience with modeling, but what Kurt liked about him was that he wasn’t snobby.

The make-up artist was s-n-o-b-b-y.

**To: David**

**I’m at a Tommy Hilfiger shoot. Not quite sure when we’ll be done, but I’m just happy they hired me!**

**From: David**

**That’s my boy. Did you tell Blaine at all? He just invited me to the skate park with him & Jus… says Niff went on a date. I don’t want to say something I’m not supposed to. **

“You’re done,” the guy doing Kurt’s hair patted him on the shoulders. “I think you’re going to be great. Now take your tight ass to wardrobe!”

Kurt’s eyes were wide as the man _flamed_ his way out of the room. And Kurt thought _he_ was gay. Now, he was questioning himself.

**To: David**

**He doesn’t know anything. I’m going to surprise him with this, ok? Don’t mention it, he’ll be mad.**

Kurt went back to the ESPN page he was on, reading about the Recon Tour promotion.

 

He saved the photo they had of Blaine and smiled. This was going to be his new wallpaper on _everything._

Carl came back from Wardrobe in a dark jacket and a plaid pair of pants. It looked nice on him, but Kurt hoped the outfit he would make his modeling debut in would look a little bit better than that. “I’m ready to go. The photo shoot is out back.”

Kurt smiled at him and nodded. “Great. I’ll go get changed and meet you out there.” He ran over to wardrobe where his father was trying to catch a basketball game on the flat screen there. The girl who worked for Hilfiger handed him an outfit and started unbuttoning Kurt’s shirt.

“Um… I can handle this myself…”

“You’re taking too long,” she moved down to his pants next and whipped open the belt buckle. Burt looked over at them as Kurt stood there, dumbfounded.

“Well, I can honestly say I never thought I’d see this day.”

Kurt rolled his eyes at his dad.

“Where’s Blaine, anyway?”

“I thought he’d be here for sure,” the costume chick, Veronica, said. “You two are adorable.”

Kurt put his new shirt on as he stood there in his boxers. “Thank you.”

“Chop, chop.”

He buttoned faster, answering his dad. “Blaine doesn’t exactly know I’m doing this. It’s a surprise.”

Burt looked at Kurt as he got dressed, making an ‘if you say so’ face. “Hope he likes it.”

Kurt sighed, stepping into the black pants. “Me too.”

“Ok you two,” Veronica handed Kurt his boots and gestured for them to follow her. “We’re going out back for the shoot.”

Burt took his son’s cell phone when Kurt handed it to him. “Go knock ‘em dead, kiddo. Try and look sexy like your old man.”

Kurt laughed. “I’ll try…”

…

It was 10:17 at night. Kurt still wasn’t home. He still wasn’t answering his messages. Blaine gave up and went back inside the beach house. All he knew was that Burt picked Kurt up early from school and since then, there wasn’t a lot of communication.

He hung out with David and Justin for a while, but both of them were acting weird. Blaine hated feeling like he was being left in the dark about something. On top of all of that, the Craig idiot was posting tweets about him. Blaine didn’t have time for any of it.

He could hear his sister crying in the room next to his and wondered what Cooper was doing to her. On his way in there, his phone vibrated with a new tweet alert.

**@xoSantanaxo Wow? Congrats! RT “@PrestigeModelsLA: Introducing Kurt Hummel! Boyfriend of BMX star Blaine Anderson @BMXxSwag Welcome to the Team @FendiKurt #PrestigeLA”**

****

 

Blaine looked at the tweet for quite some time, staring first at the words and then at the photos attached. He shook his head as he felt his face getting hot. So this was the trust they had in their _perfect_ relationship. Blaine turned his phone off and walked into the bedroom, joining his brother and sister.

It was good to know where they stood.


	10. Chapter 9: Buddies

“Where are you going? Do you see the time?” Cooper asked; his baby sister lying on his chest as he rocked back and forth in the chair. “You have school in the morning.”

“I’ll be back.”

“No,” Cooper repeated. “Go to bed, Squirt. You don’t need to leave the house at this time of night to go traipsing around the neighborhood.”

Blaine ignored him, pulling a hoodie over his head before kneeling down to tie his sneakers. Ever since he’d seen the photo that Prestige Models of LA tweeted, he knew that he couldn’t just hang around all night waiting to hear from Kurt. He’d need to go and do something about this. Who knew if Kurt even had plans of calling him tonight or not?

Honestly, this was definitely the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was one thing to do something that Kurt knew his boyfriend didn’t agree with—even knowing the reasons he didn’t agree with them, but for him to do this while posing with another guy was taking things to a whole new level. Blaine stood up, ignoring Cooper’s voice telling him that he wasn’t allowed to leave.

“You aren’t Dad. Let it go.”

…

“You can’t be serious,” Burt said, turning to his son who was fast asleep in the passenger side of his truck. He smiled to himself as he focused on the road, softly shaking his head. Here he was talking, thinking his son was listening, but Kurt was seconds away from snoring.

On the radio was some silly song playing on a station Kurt turned to himself— _so it’s gonna be forever or it’s gonna go down in flames—_ the tune was going to be stuck in his head all week, Burt just knew it. He glanced back over at Kurt for a moment and thought about how proud he was of him. Things didn’t have to turn out this way after their move to the west coast, and he acknowledged that. Who knew how Kurt would be getting along in Long Beach if it weren’t for him finding Blaine and the guys so easily? He could’ve ended up in the wrong crowd, or he could’ve ended up not really finding a place where he fit in at all. Burt’s fear was having his son resent him for the move after a few weeks of being away from his friends, but thankfully, that was something neither of them had to worry about.

It was just after ten so the traffic on the way back to Long Beach was moving freely on the highway. Neither of the two thought that their day would end so late, but between the auditioning process and then preparing for the actual photo shoot, time did seem to fly by. Kurt looked like a professional straight away and the director seemed to love him. How could he not, though? The boy was a Hummel and he definitely had his father’s good looks. But one thing Burt could admit was that he preferred his son to _model_ alone. It wasn’t that Carl was a bad guy, because he seemed pretty mature and gave Kurt lots of tips as someone with experience should—but Burt hated to think about Kurt hanging around a bunch of sleazy guys who probably didn’t have good intentions. Who knew what these guys were into? Drinking, or drugs, or the sex and stupidity that came with the fast life. Most of them seemed more obsessed with their looks than Kurt could ever be and that was saying something…

After a yawn, Burt’s inner thoughts quieted down about the scary side of this all. Despite his fears, this much was certain; he wouldn’t always be able to protect Kurt. He wouldn’t really need to with Blaine around now, and anyone with eyes could see that Blaine cared about him. But at the same time, Burt could lead with a little guidance. If Kurt was going to continue this, it wouldn’t interfere with anything else. He wouldn’t be working on school days. He wouldn’t be doing anything where he’d have to travel away from LA. Burt would be with him as much as he could because there was still a lot about this industry that he didn’t exactly know, understand, or trust. They had a lot to learn, and this was going to be a long week.

Even with the fears and concerns, the man couldn’t deny how _proud_ he was. His ‘little’ boy was grown-up and doing things he was passionate about, and pretty soon he’d be moving away to an entirely different state on the opposite side of the country. It was scary to think about because for so long, it had been just the two of them. Burt didn’t know if he was ready to ‘let go’, but at the same time he knew for sure that he didn’t want to hold his son back. He had some moving on of his own to do.

As he reached for the dial to turn the station, Kurt flinched a little and held the Tommy Hilfiger bag in his lap a bit closer to him. The bag was filled with goodies he’d gotten from the shoot—a checkered casual shirt, some cologne, snacks, a catalogue— but when Burt stopped short and honked his horn at the person in front of him, Kurt jumped up, startled as he looked around.

“Sorry.” Burt indicated left and switched into the other lane. “This idiot in front of me is going to give me a heart attack.”

Kurt shook his head no, slouching back down in the seat. “Dad, that’s not funny.”

Burt looked over at him before facing the road again. The kid worried too much. He’d been attending his doctor’s appointments and eating that nasty crap they added to his diet, and everything was fine. “We’ll be home in like 10 minutes.”

Kurt reached for his cell phone, yawning, and then sighed when he remembered that it had died hours ago.

“You seriously need to go to rehab for that cell phone addiction you have. You and your friends. All of you just sit in a circle just staring down at your phones when they’re over at the house.”

“I don’t have an addiction,” Kurt replied tiredly, smiling softly. “I just forgot it was dead.” He looked up at the exits to see that they weren’t too far. “Blaine’s probably concerned… I haven’t been able to get in contact with him since you got me from school earlier and… this was a surprise. I didn’t exactly tell him where we were going.”

Burt nodded. _Surprise._ His son changed the station _again_ to that pop crap and Burt sighed. “Don’t put this on and then go back to sleep…”

“I’m not. I’m up.” Kurt adjusted his seat a little straighter as Burt drove slightly above speed limit.  “And you love this song. This is Uptown Funk.”

“I’ve never heard it.”

“I caught you and Blaine dancing to it in the kitchen yesterday.”

“I didn’t know what he was singing,” Burt claimed. “He said if I ‘jammed with him’ he’d leave me alone.”

Kurt smiled. He was _so_ excited to see his boyfriend and tell him about everything that happened that day. Everything from the photo shoot, to how great they told him he did and how with a few more checks he could have saved up enough to pay for some furniture for their brand new apartment when they made the leap to New York. And it wasn’t like Blaine assumed it would be, because no one stood around asking about his athlete of a boyfriend all day. There were a few snobs on the staff, but the rest of the crew treated him like a human being, newbie or not.

Whatever. He just couldn’t wait to get home and share everything with Blaine. With a few days before both Preliminaries and the Recital, each of them had a hell of a lot going on, and their time to see each other and spend time together seemed limited. But they’d always make time for each other. No worries.

“I’m thinking about asking Amber to marry me.”

Kurt turned away from the window and stared at his father. Did he hear that correctly? “You’re… you’re—what?”

Burt got off at their exit and took a deep breath. “I didn’t ask her yet, Kurt. I wanted to talk to you about it first. But as you know I’ve been seeing her for a while,” he began to drive again, and Kurt could only stare at his father; lips slightly parted. “I didn’t think I could feel this way about another person after we lost Lizzie. But here we are.” He smiled for a moment, but when Kurt hadn’t said anything, Burt snuck a peek at him before facing the road. “I understand if it’d be weird for you, but remember that I gave Blaine a chance when he started skulking around. You can give Amber a chance—” 

“Are you kidding me?” Kurt asked, slapping his father in the arm. He ignored the _ouch_ as he grinned. “Dad, that’s incredible! I—what? I’m so happy for you and for her! And I could have a big brother?!”

Burt laughed, obviously a bit relieved that Kurt didn’t seem opposed to this. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could. So… do you think I should?”

“If you love her and you feel good about this, you aren’t going to get any objections from me.” Kurt clapped his hands excitedly. “Did you buy a ring already?”

Burt rolled his eyes at his son’s excitement, but he couldn’t help but smile too. Amber was special to him, and when he thought about what Elizabeth would want, it would be for him to be happy. Both he and Amber had lost their spouses and it was very hard for each of them to continue on as single parents without the people they fell for, but their bond was strong because of it. They both were strong. “I didn’t. I’ve only been _thinking_ about asking, I haven’t exactly gotten that far.”

Kurt smiled, sitting back and looking out the passenger side window. “I’m a fan of the idea. I’ll have someone here to keep an eye on you when I move to New York and knowing you won’t be alone is important to me.”

Burt nodded. “So you get along well with Blaze, right? He’s a good kid.”

“Definitely.”

“Good.”

They were pretty quiet for the rest of the ride, but were content in their own minds. Kurt was excited for his father and for Ms. Knight—they both deserved to be happy after all the heartbreak they’d experienced. And seriously, getting a step-sibling out of this who he got along well with wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Before long they were in their neighborhood, and then on their block. Burt slowed down, preparing to turn into his driveway when he saw Blaine seated on the front steps of his home playing fetch with Diesel. It was a bit late for that but since Kurt said they hadn’t spoken in a while, he figured the boy was waiting up for them.

“And there he is.”

Kurt smiled when he noticed him. Blaine looked up at the truck pulling into the yard as he threw the tennis ball towards the fence and Diesel excitedly ran over to get it. It was then that Kurt noticed how… _out of it_ his boyfriend looked.

“Aaand, we’re home!” Burt took his key out of the ignition and took a deep breath. “What a day.”

Kurt nodded, smiling as he undid his seatbelt and grabbed his bags. “I’m going to catch Blaine up to speed.”

“Sure thing.” Burt opened his door and stretched his legs as he got out. “And I’m going to get in the shower and then bed.” They closed their doors and Burt locked the car behind him, smiling when he was greeted by a huge, bouncy, silly dog. Kurt rounded the vehicle with his book bag on and the duffel bag over his shoulder as he pranced right over to Blaine—a grin covering his lips. Blaine stood up now, watching Kurt approach with a blank expression.

“You forgot a belt again,” Burt said, still petting Diesel as he walked over towards the door. Blaine looked at him for a moment before pulling up his basketball shorts and tightening the drawstring. Kurt raised an eyebrow at his behavior—he didn’t seem as happy to see either of them as he usually was.

Burt was no idiot, and he could tell something was wrong with Blaine as he patted the boy’s shoulder.  “Be in by 11,” he told Kurt, walking up the steps.

“Alright,” Kurt answered. He watched his father walk inside and looked back at Blaine who was throwing the ball for Diesel. “Hey…”

Blaine let Kurt pull his hood off and turned to look at him. “Hey, Kurt.”

Kurt stared at him. His boyfriend was obviously upset and it caused a lump to form in his throat. “How was your day? Is everything alright?”

Diesel fetched the ball and ran back over. Blaine took it back, watching his dog sit patiently at his feet.

No answer. Kurt waited for a while, and there wasn’t even an _attempt_ by Blaine to answer his question.

Blaine tossed the ball towards the back of the yard this time and Diesel barked as he ran back there. The silence between them was tense and uncomfortable, and Kurt knew he wasn’t going to like this.  

 _Did David or Justin say something while they all hung out today? Why else would Blaine be acting like this?_ Kurt turned his back to the fence as well and leant back, still holding the Tommy Hilfiger duffel bag.

“Well my day was pretty good…” he said.

Blaine nodded in response.

“Are we going to talk at all?” Kurt asked, noticing the way his boyfriend looked off at the palm trees down the block. “Because you obviously know and it feels like you’re going to stand here ignoring me. I don’t think I want to stand here and be ignored.”

Diesel’s bark made Blaine turn to look in his direction. After a few seconds passed by and Kurt was seriously considering giving up, his boyfriend ran a hand through his curly hair. “So what’s in the bag?”

Kurt looked down at the duffel bag. “Before we even go there… I was offered the chance to be a part of a photo shoot with Tommy Hilfiger and I thought it would be a great and fun learning experience, so I took it. I wanted to surprise you with the news of this, but based on your attitude, it’s pretty clear that you already know, right? Or are you being this shitty over something else?”

Blaine still wouldn’t look at him. Kurt shook his head, handing the bag over.

“This was for you. _I_ wanted to be the one to tell you about today and how much fun it was and I wanted you to have a few mementos.”

“No, thank you.” Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up to the tweet that he’d seen earlier that night. He didn’t want anything that would make him think of this night, or the blatant betrayal he felt. “Here. Take a look at what your Prestige Models posted a little while ago.”

Kurt could sense the fight coming as Blaine’s voice began to sound a bit more vicious. He brought the bag back to himself and looked down at the phone.

“It’s nice, right?” Blaine asked, a small smirk on his face. He probably simply meant to sound sarcastic, but between the anger of his voice and the blankness behind his eyes, it was coming off more hurtful than anything.

Kurt didn’t know what to think of the fact that his ‘agency’ had tweeted out photos of him already when he’d only had a three-job contract, or the fact that they had to tag Blaine in it in the first place. He looked up at Blaine right as his boyfriend was putting the phone back into his pocket.

“You know, I was a bit worried. We hadn’t really spoken, and no one else had heard from you either. Your dad showing up and signing you out of school… it was weird and I honestly believed something was wrong, Kurt. But luckily it was just so you could do this… be photographed with another man for some clothing line…”

Kurt looked at him. “My phone died, Blaine. If it was charged, you would’ve heard from me. And that’s just a picture… trust me when I say that isn’t at all how I wanted you to find out about me doing this, but, I want you to be happy for me at least.”

Blaine pulled out his car keys as he stood there. So much was going through his mind right now, he didn’t really know _how_ to organize it into words, but what he did know was he was seriously pissed the hell off.

They talked about this. Kurt asked him how he felt, and he expressed his feelings. Still, none of that mattered. Kurt couldn’t even tell him that he was going to do this in the first place? Why did it have to be a secret? Why even pretend to care?

“Can you explain something for me? Because I want to know why you’d even ask if you were going to do what you wanted to anyway?”

Kurt rolled his eyes at the question. First, Blaine was giving him this amount of attitude and barely speaking to him, and then he was going to act as if he _disobeyed_ him. “Firstly, I wasn’t asking for permission. I wanted to talk about it with you because that’s what boyfriends do… we talk. I wanted you to be proud of me like other people were after I’d spoken to them, Blaine, and to be happy for the guy you’re making plans to spend your life with. But you couldn’t even crack a smile.”

Blaine shook his head in what looked like defeat. “You expected me to be proud of _that_? You laying in some guy’s lap?”

Kurt began to laugh, but he could tell it was his body’s way of making sure he didn’t start crying. This wasn’t happening. “Are you kidding me right now? It’s a fucking _picture._ This was for work. You pose with your little fangirls all the time and you don’t see me sitting around throwing a hissy fit about it, Blaine.”

Blaine nodded before turning to call for Diesel. “This may be a joke to you,” he began. “But it isn’t to me. I’m the one who has to deal with this.”

Kurt stood up from the fence and looked at Blaine like he was crazy. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m going home.” He reached for Diesel’s collar to steer him out the yard but the dog walked off, still wanting to play. “Goodnight.”

“No. No, Blaine,” Kurt stood in front of his boyfriend who rolled his eyes at him, looking in the opposite direction. Kurt ignored his response. “There’s _no_ way I’m letting you come over here and talk to me like this. You’re acting as if you’re the goddamn King in this relationship, but this is a two-way street.”

Blaine gave a sardonic smile, sliding his hands in his pocket. “I’m not acting any differently. If you want to sneak behind my back and do something like this, and then pretend like I’m supposed to be a fucking cheerleader—”

“Why should I even have had to feel like I was sneaking? Shit!” Kurt dropped the duffel bag and turned away from him, needing to take a deep breath and lower his voice. The last thing he needed in the midst of all of their _small-time fame_ was for neighbors to call the police. Or even worse, for Mikey to hear them.

Blaine stared at the back of his head for a while until Kurt turned around to face him.  He didn’t like any of this, and Kurt expecting him to jump out in support after he’d done what he did _despite_ knowing how he felt in the first place wasn’t going to work. He didn’t think Kurt would ever make him feel the way he felt after seeing that photograph.

“Last time we had a serious disagreement, it was because you were upset that I wasn’t on board with you competing—”

“Actually,” Blaine cut in. “I told my uncle I wasn’t going to compete, remember?”

“No,” Kurt corrected him. “What I remember is you getting upset with me because I was making decisions for you. It was your choice to join up for Recon and I was being a complete asshole by trying to convince you not to. I apologized for that.”

Blaine looked bored.

“You didn’t decide you weren’t going to do it and I’m happy about that because it was _your_ choice to make, despite how _I_ felt about it. But what changed your mind was when we found out the date of the recitals,” Kurt explained. “I went out of my way to make sure you could do both. _I_ put my feelings aside and I’ve been supporting you like a good boyfriend should.”

“Just because I don’t think you should be laying with your head in some guy’s lap doesn’t mean I’m not supportive.”

“If I were in a photo by myself, you’d still be going on this rampage,” Kurt said, ignoring the pain in his chest and the dryness of his mouth as he walked past him. “There should be a limit to how controlling you are in this relationship—get off of me—”

Blaine grabbed Kurt by the elbow as the boy stormed past him and wouldn’t let him go. “You want to talk about everything, right Kurt? Let’s talk about this.” He let him go and crossed his arms, watching Kurt fix his sweater. “What’s fucked up about all of this is the fact that you don’t see that it’s bullshit. I just came out, telling everyone I love you, and not even 10 minutes later you’re in an ad with another model when no one knew who the fuck you were before I opened my mouth.”

Kurt’s entire demeanor changed.

“I’m insecure enough over all of this. I’m a human, Kurt. The last thing I want to see is some shit like that. That doesn’t make me proud.”

Kurt nodded his head as the weight of everything being said started to become real. “Alright. So because you’re having a hard time telling the difference between something being business and something being pleasure, I’m not _allowed_ to do something that I could really enjoy? I’m supposed to let you _forbid_ me from taking some pictures just because some people who you don’t know may think that I’m using you.”

“You’re the one making the choice,” Blaine told him. Diesel laid down on the grass as they stood there in front of the Hummel home. “This isn’t anything new. You know what it’s been—how I fucking feel about you, Kurt. I don’t want to see anything like that & I damn sure don’t want people saying the man I’m in love with is using me to climb to the top.”

“Just come out and say what you really feel,” Kurt’s voice cracked and Blaine stared him in the eyes. “You believe strangers on the Internet & you don’t trust me.”

Blaine shrugged. “Should I?”

“Should you trust me?” Kurt’s eyes were a bit watery but he smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Have I given you reason not to?”

His boyfriend stared at him. “All of these moves you’re making behind my back makes me think you’re not as trustworthy as I would’ve hoped, Kurt. That’s all.”

Kurt picked up the duffel bag and shook his head. “Okay. So just so I’m clear… I’m not trustworthy. Let me guess… you think I’m cheating on you, too? With the random model I met 8 hours ago for _work_?” They stared at one another and Kurt tried to regain his composure as he continued. “I’m going to give you some time to sleep on this before we do or even say something we regret, Blaine. Right now I don’t think I can even look at you.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned away, waiting for Diesel to follow suit. “Whatever. Fuck this. I honestly don’t need this stress, Kurt. I have enough on my plate right now.”

Kurt didn’t bother to wipe away the tear that ran down his cheek as he watched Blaine take Diesel and start to walk towards where he parked. “Really? You’re giving up on us just like that?”

Blaine didn’t bother looking back as he left, opening the passenger side and letting Diesel in.

“Fine, Blaine!” Kurt shouted after him, his voice breaking in a way he was hoping it wouldn’t. “Fine. You always get what you want. Hope it makes you happy.” He turned around and stormed inside, grateful that his father left the front door unlocked.  

Blaine put his hood back on as he glanced back just in time to see the door slam. After standing there for a moment, he thought about going to apologize but decided against it. Some people would call him stubborn, but he wasn’t in the wrong here. He knew he wasn’t. He opened the door to his Lexus and got in, taking a deep breath as Diesel barked.

What the _fuck_ just happened?

…

Kurt slammed his bedroom door closed behind him and threw the duffel bag across the room. The tears that he’d been fighting to hold back outside in front of Blaine were now streaming down his face as he stepped out of his shoes, locking the door behind himself. He was pretty sure his father was in the shower at this point but he didn’t need the man walking in and seeing him like this if he wasn’t.

This was just a bad dream anyway, right? There was no way that Blaine had just walked away from him like that and gave up on their relationship. Not like this. Not _over_ this. Kurt wiped at his eyes as he moved over to his bed, looking through his pockets for his cell phone and going a little crazy when he couldn’t find it. After searching his sweater and deciding to stop and take a quick breath, he finally found the iPhone in his book bag.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, wiping at his eyes and plugging the phone into his charger. This couldn’t be real. No way. The phone flashed the charging symbol as he stood up and started to get undressed.

There was no way they were really not together, right? Like… he and Blaine had made plans for the rest of their lives. He had his name and their anniversary date tattooed on him and vice versa… there wasn’t—no. No. Kurt wasn’t ready to accept that they weren’t together.

“Fuck.” He stumbled over to the mirror as the tears continued…

Maybe he did fuck up. Badly.

Blaine hadn’t been this angry with him, and that fight they had over Karofsky texting him was pretty bad. But this wasn’t even worth breaking up over in his opinion. Okay, Blaine didn’t want him to model, and okay he took a picture with a guy he was hired to take a photo with. It wasn’t anything sexual at all… it was modeling. Fucking acting for a photograph to sell some fucking clothing. Blaine could not be that insecure to let a stupid picture make him want to walk away. There must’ve been something else.

And what really sucked was Kurt didn’t try harder to convince him not to come out. Maybe Blaine wasn’t ready for this, despite shouting to the world how happy and in love he was. Maybe being labeled gay and associated as a ‘cock lover’ for the rest of his life wasn’t worth it. Kurt was right to doubt their relationship like he did at first… all of this happened too fast. He knew better. He didn’t get happy endings.

Pulling off his shirt, Kurt used the sleeves of it to wipe his face. He tossed it over to the hamper and exhaled, shaking his head at the boy looking back at him in his reflection. The boy looked so small and trampled on. His cheeks were damp and puffy, and his nose and eyes were red. The last time Kurt remembered running into his room and seeing himself like this was probably sophomore year in Lima. He didn’t know what felt worse.

His phone chimed letting Kurt know that it had turned on. He wondered if it was Blaine—maybe they’d be able to talk this out tonight and apologize, because this sucked. Kurt didn’t want to break up, even though he shouted that it was fineto Blaine.

To his _ex_.

None of it was fine. They weren’t supposed to be apart. Blaine was basically the air that he breathed.

**From: Cooper**

**Hey Kurt. I’ve been trying to call my brother to see where he is but I’m not getting an answer. I told him he couldn’t leave in the first place and I’m 100% sure he was going over to your house. If he’s there, please tell him he needs to get home. Mom doesn’t need this kind of stress.**

Kurt dried his eyes as he sat down in nothing but his boxers. Now Blaine’s mom was stressed out. That would ultimately be his fault too, if something were to happen to her. If he hadn’t done this then Blaine wouldn’t have a reason to leave his home in the first place, right?

**To: Cooper**

**Hi CJ. He was over here but he left a while ago. He should be home in a few. I’m sorry.**

**From: Cooper**

**Don’t worry about it. Thnx.**

Kurt closed out the conversation and went to his twitter app. As he suspected ever since Blaine showed him the tweet from Prestige Models LA, his notifications were blown up. Many of them were from accounts he didn’t know following him and congratulating him on the photo shoot, but they hadn’t bothered to remove Blaine’s handle, which meant all of this was going on in Blaine’s mentions too. It would be nothing but more ammunition for him to say that Kurt was latching onto him to get where he was going, and that hurt like hell.

Kurt’s friends had left him a few mentions and Kurt tried to be happy as he read the congratulations from Artie, but he couldn’t. Trying to sleep tonight with all that was on Kurt’s mind was going to be impossible.

…

Blaine put his cell phone on mute as his brother started to call. Again. He walked Diesel into Nick’s yard and put his fingers to his lips.

“Be quiet, okay boy? I don’t need to wake up Nick’s mom. She’d be pissed and he’ll probably get in trouble.”

The white dog sat down and Blaine patted him on the head before walking around to the back of the house. Diesel barked and Blaine turned around to laugh, holding his finger to his lips again.

He used to do this all the time when they were younger—climb up and through the window to Nick’s room. Honestly, Blaine didn’t even know why he was here. His best friend would probably bite his head off when he told him what happened, but Blaine wasn’t ready to go home. He didn’t want to go to Uncle Don’s either, because Kurt was literally right next door. What was needed right now was just not being alone and thinking about something other than the fact that he was single.

The last thing he expected to see when he lifted the window was Nick gripping the headboard as he pushed himself further between Jeff’s legs, but the good thing about it was they were underneath the covers. Sure, he was currently breaking into his best friend’s home while said best friend was fucking his boyfriend’s brains out but at least he couldn’t see everything. He rolled onto the floor after diving in through the open window and a ‘ _what the fuck?!’_ followed by an even louder ‘ _fuck’_ left the boys’ lips.

“It’s me…” Blaine held his hands up as the light came on and his eyes were closed, not wanting to see anymore. Enough was enough. Jeff was in the process of grabbing another cover to shield his chest when he realized who it was and sighed, falling back against the bed.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Anderson?”

Nick had never lost a boner that fast in his life. He looked from his best friend, over to his boyfriend, and then down at the condom covering his cock. “I was _so, so_ close.”

“I’m sorry, shit. I didn’t think Jeff would be over here—”

“Nick?” That was the voice of his mother outside the door. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

Jeff looked like he was about to hide in the closet, but that was way too cliché. Plus, Nick’s closet was a fucking mess and the bedroom door was locked anyway.

“Everything is fine,” Nick answered, rolling over in bed and pulling the sheets up over them and glaring at Blaine. Blaine stood up and lowered the window a little. They were quiet until everyone was sure his mother had walked off and Jeff dragged a hand over his face.

“Should I turn around and let you guys get dressed?”

Nick deadpanned. “You could leave…”

“He came over here because something is wrong, obviously.” Jeff looked away from Nick and turned to Blaine. “Right?”

Blaine looked at them. “So I take it you two had a good date night?”

“We’d be _dead men_ if we broke into Blaine’s room while he was doing his boyfriend. Stop being nice to him,” Nick grumbled.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” Blaine replied, sitting down on the beanbag chair and picking up his cell phone. “Not as of 15 minutes ago.”

Both Nick and Jeff were quiet as they looked at him, probably trying to understand what the hell he was talking about. Nick watched Jeff laugh and dig around under the covers for his shorts. He sighed, knowing he would have to get dressed too.

He was _so_ fucking close.

“Alright. What are you talking about?” Jeff asked him as he pulled on what were actually Nick’s pants underneath the sheets. If this were serious and not over yogurt again, he wanted to call Ohio right now. Kurt was most likely alone. “I don’t think I follow…”

Nick put a shirt on and found his boxers on the floor next to the bed, stepping into them. “What do you mean you don’t have a boyfriend?” he echoed.

Blaine sucked his teeth and found a pair of shorts on the floor, throwing them at his best friend. The only bulges he wanted to see were his, Kurt’s and Jake Bass’s. “Please cover up.”

Nick rolled his eyes, pulling them on. “Answer the question.”

“We just…” Blaine rubbed his face as he noticed Jeff digging through a pair of jeans and pulling out his phone. “We fought pretty badly because he did something fucked up, and it just happened. I said that ‘I don’t need this’ or something and he freaked out before I realized that it sounded that way, but he was like ‘fine by me’. I’m pretty sure that means that we’re over.”

Jeff looked up from his phone screen. “…Why does it sound like you’re okay with that?”

Blaine shrugged an answer at first. Was he okay with not being with Kurt? No. He honestly didn’t think he could imagine a life where he didn’t get to kiss him or hold him or make love to him, or hear that funny little laugh he did when he was trying not to. Honestly he wanted a family with the boy, no matter how mad they were with one another. But with this situation, things were too complicated. Blaine needed a little space. He felt that he respectfully asked his boyfriend not to do something that’d put them even more in the public eye than they already were but yet, his boyfriend is… fuck, his _ex-_ boyfriend was out parading at photo shoots with another guy’s hands in his hair. That was only the photo he saw… who knew what the others looked like. Work or not, it was still something Blaine didn’t want to see.

**To: Kurt**

**Hey. I’m at Nick’s and Blaine just showed up behaving a little erratically. Says you’re not together anymore? Can you text me back and let me know what’s going on because I’m sure he won’t give us anything of substance. Hope you’re ok.**

Nick shook his head at the silence. “If he didn’t cheat on you or murder someone then I don’t see what could be so bad that you’d feel the need to walk away. This is the same dude that I caught you looking at rings for 2 days ago, is it not?”

Blaine was too out of it to even show them the picture, or explain why he was as upset by this as he was. “When you both get the chance, log onto Twitter. I’m sure you’ll see right away what’s bothering me and why all of it blew up…. He’s mad at me for not being supportive and I’m mad at him because honestly, none of this looks good. Not for him, or for me. Not for us as a couple.”

Jeff stopped texting Kurt since he wasn’t getting an answer anyway and went to the Twitter app. He scrolled for a bit with Nick looking over his shoulder before he saw a tweet from Mercedes congratulating Kurt on his photo. Then he closed his eyes because he fucking knew that this would blow up and turn out to be bad, but David was a _lot_ more persuasive.

“So he did that modeling shoot, I guess?” Nick asked, even though the answer was quite obvious.

Blaine stood up and looked out the window.

“Gimme,” Nick whispered, clicking the tweet and finding the original one Mercedes had been replying to. It was from Prestige Models LA and it congratulated Kurt on a job well done with the photo attached.

“Wow,” he said softly. “His first time out and he got a Hilfiger shoot? That’s good… A little more than I would’ve expected but… I mean it looks good. That’s good for him.”

Blaine rolled his eyes.

Jeff took his phone back and went onto Kurt’s profile, curious to see if he was on now. His last tweet was 5 minutes ago and was basically thanking everyone who’d begun to follow him and had shown him support. “Thank you to all my new followers and to my friends for the lovely messages. I appreciate all the love and support. Heart emoji.” Jeff looked up. “Five minutes ago.”

Blaine shrugged. “He’s getting what he wanted, I guess. I couldn’t give him any support so he should be happy with that.”

“You could’ve,” Nick told him. “It’s just that you chose not to because you didn’t want to. If you want to be babied, you’re not going to get that from me, B. You know better.”

Blaine laughed. “I should’ve known I’d come here and get preached to by you, Nick. Amazing—” 

“He just posted again,” Jeff said. He’d gotten a text from Kurt too, but didn’t say that aloud. Instead, he read the tweet so Blaine could hear.

“He says, ‘ _This quote helped me understand. I’m sorry.’_ ” Jeff cleared his throat. “And the quote reads, _‘It’s better to break your own heart by leaving, rather than having that person break your heart every day you’re with them.’_ ”

 

Nick looked at his best friend for a reaction, and Blaine stood there for a moment, silent. After he’d fished his phone out of his pocket, he started scrolling through Twitter too. Jeff shook his head and looked down at his phone screen.

“Sounds like there’s something you aren’t telling us,” Nick said. “Maybe this break up was over more than just the modeling…?”

Blaine was staring down at the quote and shaking his head. He didn’t like this… it was making everything too real.

**From: Kurt**

**I’m fine. Just tell him to go home. His mom and Cooper are worried.**

Jeff bit his lip. “I think I’m going to go check on him before I head home.” He pushed the covers away and began to gather his street clothes. Nick looked like he could cry.

“I… I didn’t come yet, baby.”

Jeff made the _jerk off_ motion with his hand and winked. Nick didn’t seem to be a fan of that idea. His boyfriend turned to Blaine and spoke. “Kurt says that your mom and brother are worried,” he said tiredly. Blaine was still staring down at his phone. “So you should probably get home or at least let them know you’re ok.”

Blaine ignored Jeff. “I said some things about not trusting him because of how he makes so many moves behind my back. I’m upfront with him but with him, it’s like everything’s a secret.”

They were all quiet.

“He keeps things quiet an awful lot for a guy who gets pissed at me for not wanting to talk all the time. I mean from day 1—keeping me a secret from the people in Ohio and then that blew up in our faces when we got there. Then there was him talking to Karofsky without at least telling me. It didn’t have to be a secret. And even though he came to talk to me about wanting to model, I said I didn’t want him to do it. He does it anyway without so much hinting that he was going to do it regardless of how I felt, and then I check my Twitter timeline and see him at a photo shoot. Why should I trust him?”

Nick rubbed his hands together as he took in all that his friend said. Sure, things didn’t necessarily look good, but Kurt wasn’t hiding things to be devious. He was afraid of how Blaine would react, and this time it got him an ended relationship. “I think you should trust him because you love him and you know Kurt would never be unfaithful. I don’t think he ever would, Blaine.”

“How do I know that?” Blaine asked. “Because he says so? I think words that aren’t spoken are more powerful than the shit he’s been saying. Look at his actions.”

Jeff scoffed as he pulled on his sweater. He didn’t think he could listen to any more of this. “Turn around unless you want to see my nuts.”

Blaine turned and looked out the window.  

Jeff caught his underwear when Nick tossed it to him and quickly ditched the pants he had on, pulling up the boxers and then his jeans. He couldn’t believe what was coming out of Blaine’s mouth. Quite frankly it sounded petty and they were all bigger than that. “I know I’m not an expert in anything to do with fashion or modeling or any of that shit,” he began. “But I’m sure that Kurt didn’t ask to be in a picture with another dude posing like that. I think that whoever directed the photo shoot wanted it to be that way, and Kurt was good enough to get the job. You should probably relax.”

Blaine turned to look at him once he was sure he was dressed. “I’m relaxed, Jeffrey. I’m pretty fucking calm. Kurt didn’t see me as mad as I could be about this, because even if they told him to pose with this guy, he could’ve given me a heads up so I wasn’t bombarded.”

“Someone who was calm wouldn’t break up with their boyfriend over that,” Jeff told him, gesturing to the phone. That was completely unnecessary. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you meant to. I understand if you’re upset because he did something without you being okay with it but at the end of the day, you’re supposed to be on his side, aren’t you? Kurt is his own person last time I checked—”

“Someone who was calm wouldn’t break up with their boyfriend over that,” Jeff told him, gesturing to his phone. “And how can Kurt simply being in a photograph with another model hurt you that much? It’s a picture. He’s not doing a porno. There’s no way you’re that insecure.”

“It makes sense that you’d take his side,” Blaine said, not even caring anymore. “Kurt knows me and he knows that I would never want to find a photo of him and another dude, work related or not. And if I hadn’t seen it and he’d come home to show it to me, I still wouldn’t be ok with that.” He shook his head, putting his phone away. “He knows how I am whether or not people think it’s cool. He _knows_ me. And on top of the fact that people have been saying things about us and I’ve been having to deal with all the stress—”

“That’s what’s bothering me,” Jeff said, stepping into his sneakers. He looked up at Blaine who had stopped his rambling and was staring back. “You care a lot more about what people are going to say instead of caring that Kurt knows you’re proud of him…”

Blaine smirked, shaking his head. “I’m not about to get into it with you, Jeff.”

“You don’t have to,” he replied. Nick lazily found his shirt and started to pull it on as well. “What’s the difference between him doing super well at the recital and doing super well at modeling?”

“For one, the modeling agency didn’t know who he was until I came out with him. With his recital, he’s doing everything on his own.”

Nick looked up. “So if he got the modeling gig on his own, you’d be okay with it?”

“He did get it on his own,” Jeff said, walking over to the window to leave. Blaine was blocking him, though. “If you want to say that they’re only interested in Kurt because he’s your boyfriend, then ok. But why should that even matter? You love him and vice versa—”

“Because people are saying things and it sucks.”

“Please don’t start arguing in my room. My mom is obviously still awake—”

“I—” Jeff stopped himself from replying after hearing what Nick said. He nodded and pulled the window up, putting a leg out so he could climb down. He looked at his boyfriend and waved. “I’m going to call you, okay?”

Nick nodded. “Be safe out there, please.”

Blaine nodded goodbye to his friend as he waited for Jeff to climb down. He put his leg out the window as well as Nick stood up, walking over to close it.

“You need to sleep on this, get your head right, and realize that you don’t want to break up because of something like that. You love Kurt and you have since you first met him,” Nick said.

Blaine looked at him but he didn’t respond. He started to climb down the side of the home, putting his feet in the groves and hopping down next to Jeff who was standing there. Nick closed the window and shook his head.

Jeff started to walk through the yard, making sure he didn’t step in Nick’s mom’s garden. He smiled when he saw Diesel and the dog got excited, jumping and barking. “Hey, boy! Long time no see.”

Blaine realized he was getting another call from Cooper when his phone lit up and he sighed. “Since you’re going over there, just tell him I didn’t mean to break up with him like that. I was stressed and upset and it came out the wrong way.”

Jeff finished petting Diesel and then went over to pick up his skateboard at the side of the stoop. Blaine grabbed his dog’s leash and opened the fence. “I’m not going to play messenger, Blaine. You and Kurt need to talk things out yourself. I’m just going over there to show that I’m still his friend, because knowing Kurt he’ll assume that he can’t be cool with us because you knew us first or something stupid like that.”

Blaine pulled out his car keys. “Yeah. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Jeff put his skateboard down and started to kick and push himself in the direction of Kurt’s block. He had a lot he wanted to say to Blaine, but maybe it wasn’t his place. He never had to come out before and he probably didn’t know what Blaine was dealing with, so he didn’t want to judge. But at the same time, you don’t just say you want to be with someone forever and then get pissed off and quit after a hissy fit. It was the same way you shouldn’t say you want to be with someone and then tell another person ‘we should be together if things don’t work out in my current relationship’. It’s fucked up.

…

Of course when he got home, he found a livid mother and an annoyed older brother. Blaine sat through a lecture from Clarissa about how when she agreed to keep the beach house, he promised he’d abide by the rules. Sneaking out after curfew was a very blatant violation of the rules, so she intended on grounding him without second thought.

His car keys were taken away. His CELL PHONE and laptop and games were too. He could only practice at the skate park and come home, and he’d have to be in by 5 o’ fucking clock. Kurt couldn’t come over, _but little did she know_.

Blaine didn’t have the strength to fight back. Normally, he would say he’s 17, not 9, and it wasn’t like he was out selling drugs or prostituting or doing anything illegal. He’d gone out and came back before midnight. What was the big deal? But tonight, he didn’t bother. He’d just take the punishment. It wasn’t like his friends wanted to hang around him, or he had a boyfriend to spend time with.

The only thing that made Blaine want to smile was how happy Diesel was to meet Melody. Although it sucked to have Cooper ignoring him and his mother mad that he was being disrespectful, his little sister didn’t know how much of a screw up he was. He had time before he ever let her down.

Blaine was in his room 10 minutes later. He knew that after he got into his sleeping clothes, he should go formally apologize to both his mother and his brother for making them worry. He usually snuck out after they were sleeping, but this time he just walked out, being so upset and what not. That was stupid. Blaine didn’t intend on including any of this in his apology but he did want them to know that he’d take the stupid punishment like a man and that he was sorry.

And he’d ask for his phone back tomorrow morning, because he _needed_ his phone. Come on. That was a necessity.

It was hard to go to bed that night. It was hard to stay still and to close his eyes. The only thing Blaine could think about was Kurt’s Twitter post…

“ _This quote helped me to understand. I’m sorry._ ”

It hurt knowing that Kurt felt that way—like he was a burden, or that Blaine walking away was the right thing to do. He was upset, he felt _justifiably_ so, and something came out of his mouth that he didn’t mean. It was true that this was a lot to be dealing with before Recon—those homophobic idiots he was competing against saying things, people online attacking their relationship, worrying about making it back to California in time for his boyfriend’s performance and also worrying about Kurt keeping things from him…

Maybe his reaction wasn’t going to make Kurt feel comfortable coming to him with things, but he didn’t feel comfortable having things hidden. He hated that most of their friends, if not all, knew about Kurt going to do the photo shoot, yet he didn’t. It wasn’t fair. Things were going to shit and Blaine hated that.

…

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Jeff walked in, rubbing at the nape of his neck. The first floor was dark and he assumed it was because Kurt didn’t want to disturb his father. “I’m fine,” he answered. “We heading up to your room?”

Kurt shook his head no as he turned on the lamp in the living room. “I don’t want to be in my room right now. Too much Blaine up there,” he said with a smile. Jeff walked over and sat next to him on the sofa. “I’ve got pictures of us framed and his clothes are still laying around. I’m wearing this fucking ring,” Kurt looked down at his hand and took it off, looking down at the tan line over his finger. “We’re ridiculous.”

Jeff took a deep breath before sitting back. He stared up at the ceiling and swallowed hard. “Can you tell me what happened? I don’t want to look at you because I can tell you were crying and that’s not something I want to see.”

Kurt smiled. “I was. I hope my eyes aren’t so puffy tomorrow morning. My father will notice right away and I don’t need that in my life.”

Jeff turned to him. “What happened?”

“We argued,” Kurt said simply. “I came back from the shoot thinking I’d surprise him what the photos, but he was already mad at me when my dad pulled into the driveway.”

Jeff was quiet.

“He’d already see the picture of course, because Prestige tweeted it. And I’m not mad at him for being upset, because I know that he wasn’t a fan of the idea and I hadn’t told him I was doing it. What I am upset about is how he practically belittled me for doing it. I’m not his child, you know?”

Jeff nodded. “I’m aware.”

Kurt dragged his hands down his face. “He was angry, and he said he was going to leave. I told him I wasn’t letting him leave after screaming at me like that… we were going to talk. In retrospect, I probably should’ve just let him leave.” He took a deep breath. “At least if I let him leave, we probably would still be in a relationship. But Blaine let me know how he felt. …He said that what I did wasn’t cool… I should know that he’s insecure about me and other guys and that there are people saying shit to him about me… about me using him basically. I don’t understand how those people won but I’m really frustrated about that.”

Jeff looked over at him, not sure what to do. He wanted to hug him, but he didn’t want Kurt to cry. It wasn’t even that he was awkward in situations like that, but he just didn’t think he’d be okay seeing his friend crying. “You know he still loves you, right?”

Kurt exhaled, scratching through his hair. “I know. And I know he knows that I love him and… I don’t see that changing. But everything he said made me realize that maybe we really do need a break. Maybe I need to give him his space because he’s right… there’s a lot on his plate right now—”

“There’s a lot on everyone’s plate, Kurt. We’re human. He was upset—”

“I don’t think he and I are going to get back together anytime soon, Jeff.” Kurt looked over at him and sighed. “Think about how fast all of this happened. We were together after like 5 minutes, we were practically screwing around after 10, and we barely gave one another any space. It wouldn’t have killed to be _just_ friends first, you know? I think maybe we just need to learn how to support each other, and to _trust_ each other as friends instead of … instead of doing what we’ve been doing the past 6 months.”

Jeff began to laugh. He stretched his limbs out and looked at the time on the wall. “Kurt, I don’t mean to be a pessimist but there’s no way that you two are going to be _just_ friends. Let’s be real.”

Kurt smiled. “I’m serious. I feel bad for what I did, even though I’m mad at him for not being in my corner. Regardless of that, I’m not going to act like a 12 year old who just got broken up with. All of you guys are important to me and I don’t want to screw anything else up.”

 _We’ll see how long this lasts,_ Jeff thought. “Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, though.”

Kurt nodded.

“Blaine came over to Nick’s like I told you. He was upset. I think he realized that he broke up with you and that it was stupid, but we told him to sleep it off and you two could talk in the morning. I hope you listen to what he has to say if he chooses to actually be a man and open his mouth.”

Kurt smiled, leaning back against the sofa as he twirled the ring in his fingers. “Always.”

Jeff nodded. “Okay, Ohio. Please try and get some rest.” He stood up and Kurt tiredly got up to his feet, hugging him a thank you. “I’ll see you bright and early for school.”

“Yeah,” Kurt rubbed his back and pulled away. “Thank you for checking up on me.” He walked him to the door and smiled as Jeff picked up his skateboard and turned around to face him. “I really appreciate it and I promise I’m going to try to sleep.”

Jeff nodded to him and sighed. “Do you need to pick you up tomorrow or what?”

“I’ll be all badboy!Kurt and ride my motorcycle. It’s not a problem.”

Jeff smiled softly before saluting. He put his board down and skated out of the yard. Kurt sighed, looking at the time on his cell phone and then locking the door behind him. Tonight was hard but it probably would hurt even more when he woke up in the morning. So much of his day had Blaine in it that trying to imagine Blaine not a part in his life was impossible. Kurt leant back against the door and closed his eyes, holding the ring tight.

…

Blaine rode onto the Pace campus later than he would normally arrive at school. He looked around the parking lot and saw people heading into the school building. If he had his car, it wouldn’t have taken him so long to get here, but there was no use in complaining.

He locked his bicycle up at the bike rack and pulled out his student ID as he approached the main entrance. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kurt’s motorcycle parked next to Dani’s station wagon. If they were together, he’d pick him up for school in his car like he’d been doing everyday this year.

But they weren’t.

It hadn’t really sunk in, either. Blaine still wanted to text him good morning and ask him what he wanted for breakfast but for one) he didn’t have his fucking cell phone and two) that probably wouldn’t fly after the argument they had outside Kurt’s place last night.

People said hello to Blaine as he entered the building as always—his underclassmen fan club, as Nick would call them. He swiped his ID for attendance and then walked over to Hall D, hoping to catch Kurt at his locker.

“You looked fantastic,” Hunter said with a smile, slapping Kurt harder on the back than he would’ve liked. “I know you’re super into performing and all, and I don’t blame you, but modeling could totally be your side-calling. I could see it. _New York Fashion Week Supermodel Kurt whateveryourmiddlenameis Hummel._ ”

“It’s Edward.” Kurt smiled as he dug through his locker, trying not to look at the pictures of Blaine inside, or the handwritten note from Blaine inside, or the terribly cheesy artwork from Blaine. He took a textbook from his book bag and replied. “And thank you, Hunter. That’s super sweet but I’m going to stick to performing. I can’t turn away from my first love.”

Hunter nodded to that as a few students walked by saying hello to Kurt. His celebrity had definitely blown up since that photo shoot. “Understandable. But hurry up. I don’t want to be late for class—”

“Hey,” Blaine said, staring at Kurt and pretty much ignoring Hunter. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed him. Hunter waved in vain as Kurt turned to see him and closed his locker. He smiled, but softly, looking a bit unsure of what he wanted to do.

“Blaine,” Kurt said. “Good morning.”

“Hello,” Hunter said, not a fan of being ignored.

Blaine looked away from Kurt and over at their classmate. He didn’t have time for Hunter being Hunter.  “Hey. Can you give us a minute—” the first bell rang for class and Blaine looked a little dejected. Kurt stood up straight and turned to face a very confused looking Hunter.

“I’ll see you in class.”

His friend nodded. “Don’t be late. You know how Monsieur Dupree gets…”

Kurt nodded. He waited for Hunter to walk off and took a deep breath, looking back at Blaine.

It was _so_ hard not to kiss him. Stupid. He looked so good in his jogger pants and his AC/DC t-shirt and those stupid fucking curls. Ugh. “Hey.”

Blaine licked his lips and stood up a little straighter. Kurt’s eyes seemed a little red and it was hard to look into them right now. “I just wanted you to know that I’m on punishment for leaving last night and my mom took away my cell phone… well, basically everything. So I couldn’t get in touch with you, or you with me if you tried….” He looked at Kurt, trailing off. “I’m surprised she’s even letting me do Recon.”

Kurt hugged his French text to his chest and gestured with a head nod. “Do you need to go to your locker?”

Blaine shook his head no. “I’ll go after first period. Just… I’ll walk you to class.”

Kurt nodded, turning and starting towards the staircase. He saw Blaine playing with the straps of his backpack out the corner of his eye. “Well I’m sorry about your punishment. I guess that’s kinda my fault, huh?”

“Hardly,” Blaine said. “Cooper told me not to leave and I just ignored him so… I guess I deserved that much.”

Kurt looked over at him as they walked slower than they should have been walking through the Pace hallways. “I’m really sorry, Blaine. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that—”

“Don’t,” Blaine said, cutting him off. “I should’ve, I mean… I was really pissed off last night.” He noticed Kurt laughing a little and stopped walking too. “I’m sorry.”

Kurt shrugged as the second bell rang. They were officially late. No need to rush now. “We’ll both be sorry, okay?” his smile faded a little. “I hope we can learn to talk things out before we end up hurting each other like what happened last night because that … I don’t ever want that to happen again.”

Blaine nodded. “Me neither. We should talk as soon as possible, then. I don’t have a phone or a car to meet you somewhere so… during lunch?”

Kurt smiled again. “Sure.”

They stood there for a few seconds staring at one another. Kurt could tell by the look on his ex’s face that Blaine was thinking about kissing him and that wasn’t an option. The both of them still had a lot to deal with and discuss before any more kissing or _boyfriend-_ ing happened and he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted. “I’ll just walk myself to class. I’ll see you in Math, okay?” He took a few steps backwards before waving, about to turn away when Blaine’s eyes focused on his hand.

“Where’s…” He stared at it. “You took off the ring.”

Kurt froze in his spot and looked down at his hand, the tan line on his ring finger staring back at him. He was about to reply when Blaine walked off without another word, heading straight down the hall towards his English class.

“Blaine!”

No response. Kurt watched him disappear into one of the classrooms and sighed.

“Why aren’t we in class, Mr. Hummel?”

Kurt turned around to see Mr. Riley giving him a puzzled look. To his left was his TA Liam who pretty much mirrored his expression. It was probably because Liam knew something was wrong in the love department and that was the last thing Kurt needed.

“I-I’m sorry,” Kurt pointed upstairs. “On my way now.” He forced a smile before turning away, quickly making his way up the staircase.

_Fuck._

…

Blaine walked into his English class, shaking his head no at the teacher when she asked if he had a late pass. She said something else too, but he honestly didn’t care to hear it.

Nick looked a bit worried as his best friend took the seat next to him. One of their classmates went back to reading aloud and he pretended to follow along until Ms. McCall was focused on something other than Blaine’s distraction. He looked at Blaine, nudging his Adidas clad foot with his own.

“Would it hurt you to return my text?”

Blaine scoffed, staring down at his blank desk. “My mother grounded me so I have no cell phone right now.”

“Blaine,” Ms. McCall warned, holding a finger to her lips. Blaine rolled his eyes at her and stared at the whiteboard.

Nick was bright enough to tell that something was wrong, and it was probably a lot deeper than Blaine being grounded. He looked at his English teacher before pulling out a sheet of paper and writing.

**What’s wrong?**

He passed it to Blaine who didn’t even have a pen out. Blaine shook his head no as an answer until Nick dropped the pen onto his desk and gave him a blatant look.

_Kurt took off my dad’s ring. He told me he’d never took it off and today I saw him not wearing it._

He gave the note to Nick and his friend sighed, slouching down in his seat. Blaine sat there for a while, listening to the discussion going on in class before the note was on his desk again.

**You do know that you broke up with him last night and probably even accused him of cheating, right?**

Blaine read the note but didn’t bother to reply. That wasn’t the point.

The point was they had a stupid fight and Kurt took the ring off. He was still wearing the Mikey’s friendship bracelet, and the charm bracelet Blaine bought him for his birthday, but not the ring. He _promised_ he’d wear the ring and it wasn’t on after their break up. That meant that this was real and Kurt accepted it a lot quicker than he did.

“I’m leaving after this period.”

Nick looked at him, taking the paper from his desk and writing another message. Blaine rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He was going to head over to his uncle’s place and get his head on straight while the house was empty. If he went home, his mother would probably go berserk and he’d have even _more_ time added onto this punishment.

“You shouldn’t leave,” Nick whispered. “Look, you made a decision that you obviously didn’t mean to. Now you have to deal with the consequences and working it out.”

Blaine put his head on his desk and closed his eyes. His teacher walked over to check on him halfway through the lesson, and he lied about a headache. She sent him to the nurse but Blaine only ended up leaving for the day.

…

Kurt expected Blaine to not show up in their math class. Part of him wanted to leave and go find him, but Leonard Riley had seen him that morning. If he skipped class, he probably would be penalized as far as the recital this Friday went, and with how everything else was going right now, he couldn’t lose that _too_.

Dance class wasn’t so bad, though. Their instructor talked them up and got everyone excited for Friday. He mentioned all the college scouts that would be in attendance. Jeff, a professional by now, didn’t seem interested in doing anything other than watching Anime videos on his cell phone. Kurt was slouched down on the floor, trying not to feel anything. It would be so nice to just be numb for a moment.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked, coming to sit next to him on the dance studio floor. Kurt looked up at the sound of his voice and nodded, closing his eyes again.

“I’m fine. It’s been a long week, that’s all.”

Liam smiled softly. “I saw your ad with Tommy Hilfiger and I thought it was great.”

“Why are you talking to me after I hit you at the Halloween party? You weren’t talking to me since then and now…?”

“Because I deserved that slap and we all know it,” Liam told him with a laugh. “It actually knocked some sense into me and now I’ve made a vow to leave you alone. Let you come to me…”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Okay. That’s never going to happen. It’s a good thing you have Ian.”

“That’s not a thing, no thanks to you.” Liam pulled out his cell phone, scrolling through what looked like a Broadway article. “So do you want to talk about whatever happened in the hallway this morning? Lover boy looked pretty upset with you…”

Kurt simply shook his head no as he opened his eyes, watching Frankie go over some dance moves with one of his classmates Maria. “I don’t want to tell you.”

Liam nodded. “Look at me, Kurt.”

The boy rolled his eyes before turning to face him. “Yes?”

“You two love each other a lot. Nothing is going to change that, not even my charming, devilishly good looks. Don’t let whatever it is take your mind off of Friday, okay? Boyfriend’s come and go but the recital is important. And it’s 2 days away.”

Kurt looked at him.

“I know that Blaine’s great but whatever happened, maybe it happened for a reason… Stay focused on your goal. Boy problems are a bitch.” His blue eyes were bright as he laughed and Kurt looked away from him, across the room. Jeff sat up when he noticed Liam was next to his friend and stared for a while.

“I just wanted to tell you your pictures were fantastic and you should be proud of yourself. And on Friday, I’m going to put in a good word for you with the folks from NYADA. Madame Tibideaux is someone I worked closely with while in New York and I think she’d _love_ a guy like you.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” Kurt asked, staring the man in his eyes. Liam looked taken aback by the question and shrugged, moving a little closer.

“I think,” he began. “If I had someone in my corner when I was younger… your age,” Liam added, looking over at Jeff who was glaring. “I think I’d be further along in my career. I’m happy I’m getting to finish my education at UCLA, don’t get me wrong, but, I would love to be on the stage right now.”

Kurt looked away. It was funny how the last guy on earth he expected to say nice things to him was being so supportive right now, but he couldn’t get Blaine to have a conversation like this. It sucked.

Liam smirked when he saw Kurt look down at his hands. “Cheer up, kiddo. You better be out of this funk by Friday. Friday is going to be a _huge_ night.” He winked and stood up. “I’ll see you in choir and band class.”

Kurt nodded, not looking up though. He remained quiet for a while, knowing Jeff was staring at him but not wanting to look up or even talk about… anything. He wanted to be numb.

His phone buzzed, of course. Kurt sighed, reaching into his hooded sweater for it.

**From: Andrew Darby**

**Good afternoon! I hope you’re having a great day after that shoot last night. If not, the news I’m about to give you may help. You’re contracted for 2 more shoots with Prestige and I’ve already heard from a couple clients who are interested in you, Kurt. One is a GUESS shoot over the weekend. The other is for runway modeling for a show in San Francisco. I know that’s far and you don’t have any experience on the runway, but Prestige has coaches and if you’re interested we could get you up to par before the interview. Let me know how you feel, and if you need to talk about anything from the Hilfiger shoot, I’m here for you.**

**-Darby**

Kurt read the message and let his head hit the wall. He closed his eyes again. Normally, this would be exciting.  He’d be ecstatic. But it’s nowhere near as fun as fun when you don’t have the person you love to celebrate it with.

Kurt ignored the message for now, instead looking through his texts with Blaine. The last few were from him wondering where Kurt was and asking for a reply. He sighed, going to type out a message.

**To: Blaine**

**I know that you don’t have your phone so you won’t be reading this for a while.**

**To: Blaine**

**But when you get to see this, it’ll be a reminder that I love you more than anything.**

**To: Blaine**

**And that I always will. Xo**

He put his phone back into his hoodie and closed his eyes again. Jeff looked back down at his anime once he was sure Kurt was alright.

…

Blaine ended up sleeping in Mikey’s room for three hours, and it was a nap he knew he needed badly. His sleep had been shit—up worrying about how bad he’d screwed up last night, and if Kurt was trying to call him to talk, and if he was missing that call. But he got his nap and it was great. Iron Bear was probably the reason. No wonder Mikey loved that thing so much.

Blaine looked at his watch as he walked out of the bedroom. It was just after 2. Pace was letting out, and soon Mikey would be out of school too. He had a babysitter now as of a week ago that picked him up and brought him back here. Blaine hadn’t met her, but Kurt told him she was nice. She looked like Farah but with blond hair, and actually sweet instead of a conniving asshole. When he got to the kitchen, he could hear the engine of a motorcycle approaching. Blaine neglected the apple he was about to eat and walked to the door, looking outside. He could see Kurt parking his bike in front of his home.

Kurt pulled out his key and took a deep breath, lifting the navy blue helmet off of his head. He smoothed his hair back before standing up and looking around the neighborhood. Thankfully the mean old neighbor of his that lived across the street wasn’t around to glare at him for riding his motorcycle and disturbing the peace. She was so annoying. Kurt started to fix his book bag as he walked towards his front door when he noticed Blaine leaving Don and Pam’s house, walking over to him. He paused, not knowing whether or not this was going to turn into another argument.

“You’re kinda early,” Blaine said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and not particularly looking at him.

Kurt pulled out his house keys. “My design teacher let us out a few minutes early so I thought I’d come home before Nick and Jeff dragged me somewhere. Not really in the mood.”

Blaine nodded.

“Would you like to come in? I can order a pizza or something if you’re hungry,” Kurt said, a little hopeful. He doubted the answer would be yes, but he was happy that he was wrong.

“Sure,” Blaine said. He looked up at his ex and smiled, and even though it looked forced, Kurt was thankful to see it.

They went inside and Kurt kicked off his boots, placing his satchel down at the entrance. Blaine closed the door behind them and locked it, looking around as if he’d never been there before. The atmosphere was awkward and Kurt hated it. Everything between them had been comfortable since the very first day they met, and now they were going through this.

“I guess we can sit down on the couch.”

Blaine licked his lips and walked over. His all black outfit fitted him perfectly—Kurt hadn’t really gotten to admire Blaine’s ass in those jogger pants, but now he had to rip his eyes away.

Why did life have to suck so much?

He walked over and smiled as he took a seat not entirely close to Blaine but not necessarily far either. Blaine looked over at him like he always did—like nothing else in the world mattered.

“Go ahead and yell at me for cutting class on what was supposed to be my last day of school this week.”

Thursday was supposed to be another promo day, so he’d miss classes, and Friday he’d be in Ohio. He’d have a lot of school work to make up because of this, and Blaine could basically hear his uncle now.

Kurt smiled at him. “I don’t want to yell at you. That’s the last thing I want to do right now.”

Blaine was quiet, looking down at his hands again. “Well I honestly wanted to apologize this morning and get back on track with you but, seeing the ring off. That really fucked with me.”

Kurt listened to him. He took in everything Blaine said and nodded, because he could understand that. But one thing he didn’t want to do, just like he explained to Jeff, was jump back into their relationship with basically no resolve. “Can I tell you why I took off the ring?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to hear it just yet.”

Kurt reached for Blaine’s hand and moved a little closer. “Well we’ve got to get these things out on the table. I want to understand how you feel about things and you need to know how I feel. That way we’ll be able to work this out one day, right?”

 _One day?_ Blaine turned to face Kurt.

“I know why you gave me your ring. Your dad gave it to you because you asked for it, but he wanted to know that whatever you wanted, he’d make sure that you had it. And that was because he loved you, not simply because he could.”

Blaine stayed quiet.

“And you gave it to me because Senior wanted you to give it to someone you cared for.”

“You promised that you wouldn’t take it off, Kurt. I mean, I know we aren’t… _together_ anymore but, I guess I don’t understand why you took it off. You’re still wearing the charm bracelet.”

Kurt turned his body on the sofa, taking Blaine’s hand. “I know that I made a promise and maybe I shouldn’t have broken it. But I… Blaine I feel like I didn’t deserve to wear that ring.”

Blaine shook his head no. “That’s bullshit, baby. I want you to always wear it.”

“Okay but you didn’t see how pissed off you were last night. I really hurt you and that… that hurt me. And I know what that ring means to you and I didn’t feel like I deserved to have it on. I took it off, and I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be upset about it because of how angry you were with me for… for everything.”

Blaine held the boy’s hand a little tighter. “I regret a lot of the things I said last night. I regret how I handled it.”

Kurt nodded. “Me too, Blaine.”

They stared into one another’s eyes and Blaine took a deep breath. “I was angry and it was because I never would’ve expected that from you… you sneaking to do the modeling. I know that everyone knew but me too, and that’s. It sucks.”

Kurt looked down at their hands. “I’m sorry. I did the wrong thing.”

“I—”

“Wait… I did the wrong thing by not telling you, I think. Because I’d definitely want to know if you were doing something huge like that. But, I don’t apologize for wanting to model. I just should’ve told you that I was intending to do it.”

Blaine nodded. “Guess you shouldn’t apologize for wanting to do it. You’re your own man.”

Kurt stared at him. “Do you even mean that?”

“I do. I love you.”

“…Do you think I’m being unfaithful?”

Blaine laughed and threw his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No… be honest if that’s a legit concern of yours.”

“I don’t think you’re cheating on me, Kurt.” Blaine turned to look at him. “I don’t think you ever cheated on me, or you would. I just… honestly,” he took a breath. “You have a tendency to keep things from me so that I won’t get upset. You know that?”

Kurt was silent, but eventually nodded. “I guess we’re talking about that Karofsky situation?”

“It’s not only me you keep things from. You didn’t tell your friends about dating me when we first got together to protect their feelings… Chandler’s too. And that Derrick guy at your dad’s shop, I wouldn’t have known he was flirting with you if I hadn’t visited that day and I don’t like that.”

“Let’s talk about what you’ve kept hidden, then? Remember you didn’t want to introduce me to your first girlfriend and were making plans to hang out with her when she came back to town? Or about the time that Don’s creepy friend was blackmailing you and you kept that a secret too? Should I keep going?”

Blaine looked at him, about to speak, but Kurt held a finger to his lips.

“I love you. You’ve done things that I didn’t like and I’ve done things that you didn’t like. We’ve hurt one another, but we’ve also gone out of our way to make sure we each know we’re loved, right?”

Blaine nodded when Kurt moved his finger. “Okay. You just said it perfectly. I… maybe we should get down to the real issue here.”

Kurt nodded. “I’d like that.”

Blaine looked forward. “Basically, you warned me that people would be assholes when I came out and I didn’t think it’d affect me. Yet, obviously it did…” he rubbed at his temple. “I’ve always been insecure when it comes to you. And… jealous. I mean I’ve gotten jealous easily. Since José. You know?”

Kurt nodded. “But why? I don’t think I give you a reason to feel that way. Past José, because that night I didn’t actually know how you felt. But since then I have been focused on you and on us, at least I thought I was…”

Blaine took a deep breath, shaking his head and taking his hand back. He ran it through his hair as Kurt watched him expectantly. They were quiet, each in their own headspace. The good thing was that this was progress… they were getting somewhere at least. It was a start, right?

“Take your time, Blaine.”

Blaine had his eyes closed. “I think my biggest fear is losing you. Losing anyone I love greatly, honestly… but with you, I don’t know Kurt.”

Kurt realized he was holding his breath and exhaled, sliding a little bit closer.

“You remind me a lot of my father… all of the good I saw in him and everything that I wanted to be one day. I look at you and how hard you work and the way you care about the people you love… the things you say.” Blaine forced a smile. “The way you always have an answer for everything, it’s like. You’re so much like him and I love you. People saying things about me using you for publicity bothered me, but I knew for sure it was bullshit. But when they began to say that you’d leave me for someone better… that fucked with me.”

Kurt started to play in the curls at the nape of Blaine’s neck, knowing it would calm him down. He was a little fidgety and anxious and Kurt didn’t want to see him like that. “That’s bullshit, too. All I want is you. Deep down inside you know that.”

“But part of me believes that you’ll realize that you deserve so much more, Kurt.”

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. “You couldn’t say all of this before we decided to tattoo each other’s names on our bodies?”

“This isn’t funny.”

“You’re right,” he answered. “It’s not. I… Blaine I don’t even know what to do to make you see that you’re my world. I don’t deserve better than the best gift I’ve ever been given, Blaine.”

Blaine still hadn’t turned to look at him, instead looking down at his folded hands. He was staring at the callouses on his fingers and the small scar he’d gotten from falling off his bike when he was younger. Kurt sighed, looking at his own fingers running through his ex-boyfriend’s hair.

“What can I do to help you… _not_ feel so insecure?”

Blaine shrugged. “I think that’s something I need to work on myself.”

Kurt looked at his facial features, noticing they were softening a bit. He shook his head no. “I disagree with that.”

Blaine remained quiet.

“All I can do for now is tell you that you’re the only person on this earth that I want to spend the rest of my life with, Blaine. I guess now all I have is my word and my actions, and if my actions have been saying otherwise then… I’m…” Kurt pulled his hand back to himself. “Then you should be upset for other reasons. Because you can do a lot better than a guy who doesn’t… or a _girl_ , who doesn’t make you feel like you’re the only one in the world.”

Blaine shook his head. “You make me feel loved, Kurt. I’m lucky. I know that.”

Kurt didn’t know if he believed him entirely. He took a deep breath after nodding and stood to his feet. “I think I’m going to order that pizza and get something to drink. Are you sure you don’t want something?”

Blaine sat back on the sofa and looked up at him. “Just. Some water is fine. Thanks.”

Kurt nodded, stepping over Blaine’s stretched out legs and heading towards the kitchen. “Do you want that weird Philly cheesesteak pizza you always get or something else?”

Blaine smiled. “Pepperoni is fine with me. Thank you.” He stared at the TV remote and reached for it. “I’m scared to turn the TV on because my mom might find out I was watching it.”

After a few moments, Kurt came back into the room; phone half-in and half-out his pocket and a couple glasses in his hand. He walked over and handed one to Blaine before picking up the remote. “Are you in so much trouble that she took your TV away?”

Blaine thanked him and took a sip, smiling afterwards. “No. I have my TV but I haven’t tried turning it on.” He turned and looked at Kurt as he put the television on MTV, a _True Life_ episode on. “I have a 5 pm curfew.”

Kurt’s eyes went wide as he looked at him. “Goodness, Blaine.” He looked at the time and saw it was just after 3. “That’s… she was upset.”

Blaine smiled, shrugging. “She didn’t seem as mad this morning. Cooper forgave me pretty quickly but he’s always been… tolerant of me.” He took another sip before laying his head on the back of the sofa, staring at Kurt who was staring back. “Sort of like you.”

Kurt smiled softly, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and then looking at the TV. They were each quiet, but the good thing now was that it was a comfortable silence. He could still feel Blaine looking at him though and he thought it best to speak, just to make his intentions known.

“You know Jeff stepped by last night, right?”

Blaine nodded. He finished off the rest of the rest of his water and put the glass down. “He hasn’t really spoken to me since then, but then again I haven’t really seen him I guess.”

He lowered the volume of the TV and looked over at Blaine. “I was telling him that I think you and I should try to be friends for a while.”

Blaine didn’t really react to that besides the arching of his eyebrows. He stared forward at the television.

“We jumped into this and I don’t regret that, but maybe the consequences of how we rushed are starting to catch up to us,” Kurt said. “And on top of that, I really want the chance to show you that I can treat you how you deserve to be treated without all of the… added extras.”

Blaine finally looked at him, but appeared more amused than anything else. Kurt ignored his smirk. “You’re my best friend and I’ve been hurting you without realizing it, B. I just want you to see that I’m still in your corner and that I’m trying to do better by us—”

“How long do you think this is going to last?”

Kurt licked his lips and shrugged. “I don’t know. Until you see that I’m not doing anything to intentionally hurt you… or that I would never up and leave you for anyone else. That I’m not using you to climb to the top and find a more eligible gay guy like people have been saying…”

Blaine shook his head. “I’m not interested in this plan. Once guys find out you’re single that’ll be it for me.”

Kurt laughed, dragging a hand down his face. “Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?”

“Yes,” Blaine told him. “But I also know how incredibly beautiful and amazing you are and maybe—”

“If you’re about to say something demeaning about yourself then I don’t want to hear it.”

Blaine shook his head. “Forget it.”

Kurt put his glass down next to him. “I’m doing this to strengthen our relationship, not to run off and date other guys. Can you trust me enough to know that I’m working hard to fix this… whatever doubts you have about me as a boyfriend and even how fucking _amazing_ you are? Please?”

Blaine exhaled very hard before ruffling his curls. “What if…” he looked at Kurt, “what if I want to kiss you? Or hold you…”

Kurt smiled. “I want to kiss you right now.”

Blaine moved closer. “So what’s the problem?”

“We have issues to work through,” Kurt smiled when Blaine leaned into his space, putting his hand on the boy’s chest. “Stop… tell me you love me.”

Blaine looked at Kurt’s lips and nodded. “I love you, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled. “Tell me you want us to work.” He looked in Blaine’s eyes as his hand moved up to his shoulders, the dark fabric of his t-shirt soft beneath his touch.

“I _need_ us to work.”

Kurt rubbed his shoulder, still looking in his eyes. “Now tell me that you trust me.”

Blaine nodded his head. “I do. I trust you.”

“Then trust that when this is over, we’re going to be even stronger. Right?”

Blaine nodded.

“I’m going to make you very proud of me, and even prouder to be _with_ me.” Kurt kissed him on the cheek and stood up. “I have your gift that you snuck into my closet and saw all ready! Come on so I can show you—”

Blaine laughed as he pulled Kurt down by the hand and the boy dramatically flopped onto the sofa. “That can wait. Let’s just watch TV and talk. No small talk. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

Kurt scooted forward on the sofa and then laid back, draping his legs over Blaine’s lap. “Well, not much I guess. I should be doing homework and rehearsing for Friday night but I’m spending time with you and I’m genuinely happy about that.”

“Okay.” Blaine smiled. “How was the photo shoot yesterday?”

Kurt looked at him, hesitating a bit. “Do you really want to know?”

He nodded sincerely. Kurt swallowed and looked up at him, parting his lips to reply.

“My dad took me to the casting after picking me up from school. I didn’t think I was going to get it because all the other dudes there were like. Models. And they looked like… tall, tan, buff.” Blaine started to rub Kurt’s shin. “The lady who was casting for Hilfiger recognized me because of our being in the newspaper and what not. She said she was proud of us and hoped that one day we’re like NPH and David with a beautiful family.”

Blaine smiled, looking over at the TV. “From her mouth to God’s ears.”

Kurt slipped his hands beneath his head. “Like I said, I didn’t think I’d actually get it but they looked over my headshot and gave me a little direction and next thing I know, I’m meeting Carl. Carl’s the other model.”

“Was he respectful of you?”

Kurt nodded. “Sweet guy. He’s been modeling since he was 15 he told me. Anyway, dad drove me over to the shoot. The set was nice. I don’t know how I feel about sitting through hair and makeup that long but I guess I should get used to it going into theater, right?”

Blaine smiled. “You probably should, babe.”

Kurt laughed. “Well, whatever.” He started to stretch. “The makeup artist was an egotistical, obnoxious bitch, too. And if I wasn’t being an asshole, I would’ve live-texted you everything. But my phone died before we started the shoot and all.”

Blaine looked down at Kurt’s hand, wishing he was wearing the ring. “I wouldn’t call you an asshole. I wish things happened differently but I hope I didn’t ruin your first modeling experience by not really being in your corner.”

Kurt shook his head no. “You didn’t. It wasn’t really as special because I kept it from you.”

Blaine looked over at him. “Maybe I can actually go to one of these next time? Supportive friend or… not so _overprotective_ boyfriend.”

Kurt smiled. “I’d love that. But, I’m only contracted for two more gigs… I signed up for short-term just to see if this would work and if I’d like it.”

“In all seriousness, you looked amazing. I know I was bitching but I think you’d be the world’s sexiest supermodel, just saying.”

“I’m barely a model, let’s not discuss _supermodel_. And you’re biased.”

“I’m honest.”

Kurt smiled. “We’ll see what happens.” They caught eyes again and Blaine smiled back.

_Buzz._

Kurt reached for his cell phone and swiped at the message.

**From: Jeff**

**Checking on you, Ohio. Let me know if you need company. We can rehearse dances together. :D**

He smiled and placed the phone on his chest. “My dad wants to propose to Amber, by the way.”

Blaine slipped the remote from underneath Kurt and began to smile when he actually processed what was said. “Really?”

Kurt nodded, biting his lip. “Really. I’m happy for him. It’s great… I like that she keeps him in check, and then I can become even closer to Blaze, and so can you again.”

Blaine pressed the guide button and started to scroll through channels, still smiling. “Burt and Ms. Knight have been together for less time than us, so when we get engaged he can’t say it’s too soon.”

Kurt sat up, typing on his phone. “He’s going to say something just to give us a hard time. You know that old man.”

**To: Jeff**

**I’m fine. I’ll call you tonight, Blaine and I have been talking for the past 15 minutes and it’s going great. :) TTYL**

“Do you think he’d let me be Flower Girl?”

Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes and standing up. “You’re an idiot. I’m not even going to reply to that one.”

Blaine turned to a _Saved by the Bell_ rerun and looked over at Kurt to see where he was going. He watched him pick up his backpack and walk back over to him—acid wash jeans hugging his thighs in a way that made Blaine lick his lips. “Want me to do your math for you, friend?”

Kurt sat down and smiled. “I was actually able to pay attention to today’s lesson without you there to pass me dirty notes and give me a hard on, so I think I got it.”

Blaine laughed. “That’s a good thing.”

Kurt pulled out some of his homework assignments and looked through them. “I know you said we aren’t going to do small talk so you can tell me about what’s going on in the world of BMX and Recon. I want to know how you feel, getting ready to leave for Ohio in a day and all.”

“It’s nothing,” Blaine slouched down and watched the TV as Kurt dug in his bag for a pencil. “A majority of those guys are dicks, and I don’t know if it’s gameplay because they’re trying to get into my head or if they’re actually just… just fuckboys.”

Kurt tapped the pencil against his lip. “Care to elaborate for me?”

“About?”

“Their … _gameplay_ ,” Kurt said. “I’m curious about what they’ve been saying to you and I guess if it’s because of me.”

“It’s because they are homophobic cunts.”

“Wow,” Kurt looked over at him. Blaine shook his head.

“They were talking a lot of shit about me not being good enough to compete… riding my uncle’s coat tails, saying I’m dating a boy to get in the headlines and make more people know who I am. They don’t think I’ll make it past Preliminaries.” Kurt looked at him, and Blaine turned back. “So that could just be them talking shit to mentally take me out of it—”

“Look at me, Blaine.”

The boy stopped rambling and took a deep breath, turning to face Kurt. He smiled a little and scratched tiredly at his forehead. “Yes?”

Kurt didn’t speak until Blaine was actually looking him in the eye. Even then he took his hand and moved in closer. “You’re incredibly talented. You have the support of myself and our families, as well as some of the goofiest but best friends a guy could ask for. So what I need you to do is go there on Friday morning and destroy every single last one of them.”

Blaine tried to hold it together, but eventually began to laugh. Kurt smiled at him before slapping his hand.

“I’m serious. I know what it’s like to have to fight against people who felt that very way about me and it sucks. I think when I got you and we could go outside hand in hand, I actually won. Now you’re starting to get a taste of what it’s like to have people berate you, and treat you like less of a human being because of who you are and who you love, and it isn’t a good feeling.”

Blaine continued to look at him, frowning a little. It wasn’t a good feeling. He used to hate thinking about anyone treating Kurt like he was less than a person—like he wasn’t worthy to be in their presence because of his preference. Now, he was beginning to understand what Kurt faced back then because his competition had been doing the same thing to him.

“The only way to win isn’t by arguing back. I learned that, I think. You win by focusing less on the hate and more on those who make you feel like you’re on top of the world. Honestly, those guys aren’t worth your time, Blaine.” Kurt squeezed his hand and smiled before looking back down at his homework. “If you lash back, the media will have a field day with that, and right now we should focus on you being out and proud, not a violent gay guy. And in all seriousness, if you don’t get into quarterfinals, I’m not going to give you head until next year.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide and he started to laugh. “Seriously? That started off so fucking sweet but then you end it like that?”

“Something to think about, I guess.” Kurt shrugged, smirking a little. His ex pushed the books out of his lap and jumped on top of him, pinning him down against the sofa. Kurt laughed and tried nudging him off. “Blaine… stop, seriously my hip.”

The doorbell rang and there were a couple knocks to follow. Blaine smirked down at Kurt before kissing his cheek. “You’re very lucky.”

“Go get the pizza,” Kurt said with a laugh, pinching the boy’s arm when his hands were finally free. Blaine smiled, going over to the door.

Being _just_ friends would definitely take some getting used to, but they were worth the wait. Each of them realized it.

…

Blaine got home before 5 and dropped his bike onto the deck. His mother was changing Melody when he walked inside, his backpack on like he’d honestly been at school or something. Clarissa smiled when she saw him and looked back down at her daughter.

“You’re just in time to change Miss Stinky.”

Blaine walked into the living room and looked at the TV before heading over to where his mom was. “Hey.” He kissed her cheek and then smiled at Melody whose fists were balled up and bumped fists with her. “How was your day?”

“Not too shabby. We’ll be going to Don and Pam’s for dinner. Mikey wants more quality time with Melody. You coming along?”

Blaine considered it but shook his head no. “I’m on punishment, remember?”

She laughed as she put on the new pamper and leaned in to kiss her daughter on the cheek. “Well I wouldn’t keep you from eating dinner because you got in a little trouble.”

Blaine shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m tired anyway. Let me…” he took off his book bag and started to snap up Melody’s pajamas. Clarissa looked at him and rubbed his back.

“You seem out of it. Are you okay?”

Blaine nodded. “Kurt and I broke up last night, after I left.”

“What?”

Blaine smiled. “It was a dumb fight that escalated—it was probably necessary, but, we’ve decided we’re going to be friends today and right now that’s good enough for me.”

His mother still looked taken aback and almost like she didn’t want to accept that as an answer. “O…kay. I… really hope you two work it out. I know how much you love one another.”

Blaine picked Melody up after she was all dressed, cradling her closely. “We will. But I’m just going to hang out here and rest up. Wait for Cooper to get in.”

She nodded. “I wish you would’ve told me what happened last night. I wouldn’t have been so harsh.”

“It didn’t matter,” Blaine told her. “I felt like I lost Kurt so you taking away all that other stuff was nothing in comparison.”

The woman pulled her curls into a ponytail and followed Blaine into the kitchen. “I’m going to shower and get ready, okay? Can you two stay out of trouble while I do that?”

Blaine laughed as he looked at his sister, holding her high above his head. “I guess we have to behave ourselves. No bank robbing today.”

Clarissa smiled. “Don’t forget you’ve got a long couple days ahead of you. Just try and take it easy tonight.”

Blaine nodded.

…

“Why is he here?” Kurt shook his head. “I came here to relax…”

Nick looked up and saw the TA. He sighed. “I hear Liam was bothering you in dance class today,” he was walking across the beach with Kurt and Jeff trailing shortly behind him. Kurt rolled his eyes at that, not even wanting to reply. He watched a wave come in and the sun start to set over the horizon as the smell of salt water and roasted peanuts surrounded him.

Jeff was staring down at his cell phone as they walked towards where the surfboard rental shop was. “He looked like he was perving to me.”

“He was acting strange but it wasn’t anything to write home about,” Kurt said tiredly. “He’s always acting strange. He’s a weird guy.”

“He’s unpredictable,” Nick said. “And I don’t trust him, especially since he’s been hanging around John whose attitude this year has been atrocious. Now he’s here. That’s great.”

Kurt slid his hands into his swim trunks. “Has John not always been that rude?”

“I used to get along with him well,” Jeff said. “He was like… the superstar on campus. Well, he and Hunter.”

Kurt shrugged. “Not my problem. And they can have each other.”

“I just don’t want him trying to swoop in while Blaine and you aren’t together. That’s all I’m saying.”

They approached the surfboard rental stand and Kurt had no intentions on surfing, of course. It was late anyway and he’d probably end up leaving soon. It sucked being a third wheel anyway. Someone smiled at him and said hello and he politely waved back as he waited for Nick and Jeff to rent their boards. A breeze made him button up his unbuttoned shirt, and the voice that protested his actions made him look up.

“Boo! Give the people what they want, Mr. Hilfiger!”

Jeff turned around at the same time as Nick and they watched Liam approach, an ice cream cone in hand. He smiled, winking at them before focusing on Kurt.

“We meet again. Where’s your lovely bodyguard boyfriend?”

Kurt buttoned the top few buttons and stared at him. “On punishment,” he answered, not wanting to say that they weren’t together. “But you know it’s bad enough that I have to deal with you in school. My private time should be private.”

“But you’re on a very public beach,” Liam answered, charming smile on display. He was shirtless and in these green trunks that were glued to his legs because they were so wet. Kurt looked away from the man as he licked the chocolate scoop on his cone. “It’s almost 8 o’clock. Why are you boys out this late on a school night?”

Nick got his board and turned around. “You know, William. Minding our business. It’s a lot of fun, you should try it…”

Liam smiled. “I wouldn’t know. Doesn’t sound like the life I want to lead.” He turned his attention back to Kurt when Jeff walked over.

“I think I can wait to surf until the unwanted company is gone…”

“I’m a big boy,” Kurt said to his friend. Seriously, everyone trying to protect him was great. Having these guys around in Ohio would’ve been the best, but right now it wasn’t necessary. “And Liam knows not to bother me.”

Liam nodded, smirking at Jeff. “I got slapped last time. I’m on my best behavior since then.”

Nick shook his head and walked towards the sea. “You know where we are if you need us.”

Jeff stared at Liam a little bit longer before following after Nick. He finally turned away when Liam grinned at him and Kurt sighed.

“Listen, I don’t know what you want but I’m not interested.”

“I don’t want anything,” Liam said. “Just hanging out. Actually I have a few of my performer friends here if you want to ask questions. One is a NYADA alum…”

Kurt looked over to the group of guys and girls Liam had been hanging with and shook his head no. “It’s fine. I think I’m about to leave. I should be rehearsing anyway.”

Liam licked his ice cream and hummed acknowledgment. “Sounds like a smart idea. Can I walk you home or will Blaine have a problem with that?”

“I’d have a problem with it,” Kurt answered. “Look… you were nice today for whatever reason, and I appreciate that you want to put in a nice word for me with the college folks, but I want to do this on my own, Liam. I don’t want or need your help.”

“Fine. I won’t help you.” He smiled and looked around the beach. “I still want to walk you home, though.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and took a couple steps back. “In no universe would I want you knowing where I live.”

Liam laughed, following after him. “Shit. That’s not so nice. Can I at least walk you to the boardwalk? I need to talk to you.”

**To: Nick and Jeff**

**Decided to head home. See you at school.**

“Sure. What is it?”

Liam took a big bite from his dessert and walked in line with Kurt. “I’m throwing a party after the recital that’s exclusive for participants only and I was hoping you’d come.”

Kurt laughed, looking back at him. “What? No. Hell no.”

Liam laughed too. “Why not?”

“Bye, Liam. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

The man stood there shaking his head. “I’ll keep asking until you say yes!”

“Good luck with that.”

…

Blaine got in late the next night, after his _curfew,_ but it was alright. He was working with Don and his mother had decided to let him off punishment anyway. She said his not being with Kurt was probably punishment enough, and she knew he wouldn’t do anything disobedient and idiotic again after this.

That much was true. Blaine had gone about 24 hours now without talking to Kurt. They hadn’t seen one another or spoken since after Blaine left Kurt’s place, and the most they’d done was hug goodbye.

He wasn’t a fan.

He was lonely without communication. He was horny. He was anxious about the competition tomorrow, and he missed talking to Kurt. They say you never know what you got til it’s gone…

Blaine got his cell phone back and went straight to his room with Melody. She was wide awake at this point, despite it being 10 o’clock at night. The girl was a night owl like Cooper.

**To: Kurt**

**Peek-a-boo. Guess who.**

He pulled off his sweatshirt and smiled at Melody, doing a dance that the baby only dead panned at.

“Well excuse me.”

She looked away.

“Sassy ass.”

**From: Kurt**

**Hmmm… I wonder who this could be. I really hope it’s Blaine but that’d be too easy, seeing that I have this number stored as Blaine, which would mean I wouldn’t need to guess at all.**

**To: Kurt**

**Why do you have to be such a smart ass? Jeez.**

**To: Kurt**

**I’m off punishment :D Just turned my phone on and it’s on like… three percent lol.**

Blaine put the phone on the charger and smiled at his little sister, picking her up and kissing her cheek over and over again. “I need good luck kisses for tomorrow morning. My flight’s super early, Melly. But I’m going to kick some homophobic ass.”

**From: Kurt**

**I can’t tell you how much I missed talking to you. And school is shit without you. Liam is even more of a pain in the ass when he knows you’re not there. How was ‘work’ Mr. BMX?”**

Blaine hadn’t replied until after he was in something comfortable—shorts and tube socks. He laid down on his bed with his sister on his chest; the little girl drooling on what he thought was purpose. “You’re so rude.”

She smiled.

**To: Kurt**

**Work was work. But I have my routine down perfectly and people are definitely going to know my name after tomorrow. Not just because I like to take it up the bum but because I am damn good at riding.**

**Heh.**

**From: Kurt**

**To: Kurt**

**Liam is a nonfactor. Let’s not talk about him.**

**I’d ask to see you before I leave in a few hours but you’ll realize how sexy I am and then, you’ll be all over me. The whole ‘just friends’ thing we’re trying to do won’t last.**

He smiled after sending the message and then checked Twitter. His mentions were as busy as usual.

 _Can’t wait to see you in Recon, Blaine. Xo –_ random fangirl

 _You’re so cute! Good luck tomorrow –_ random fangirl number 2

Then there was someone talking about how he’d get his ass kicked and how he sucked, but Blaine paid it no mind. What did catch his eye was a reply to him and Kurt that said “ _relationship goals”._ He clicked on the tweet and saw it was attached to:

**FendiKurt:** #ProudBlaineStan ;P

Blaine smirked, seeing it was tweeted the night before. He retweeted it as Kurt replied to his text message.

**From: Kurt**

**Lol. How I missed the ego on single Blaine Anderson. :P But my dad won’t let me out the house because tomorrow is my ‘big day’ so you’d have to come to me. You can come get your jacket before your flight.**

Blaine smiled.

**To: Kurt**

**Can we talk about the picture you posted on Twitter in my jacket or…?**

**From: Kurt**

**Did you like it? ;) I think I look cute.**

**To: Kurt**

**I love it. You’re more than cute. But you have competition**

** **

**I can’t take her picture right now because she’s drooling on me so you’ll have to take this of how happy she was when big bro came home** **  
**

**From: Kurt**

**I’m going to kidnap her while you’re in Ohio.**

**To: Kurt**

**You wish.**

**From: Kurt**

**No really. She already loves me more.**

**So you had a good day, right? Nothing bad to report? I’m so excited for the competition… more so than my recital.**

Blaine smiled.

**To: Kurt**

**Nothing bad. Though, talking to you just might be the highlight of my day, buddy. Can we go out tomorrow night after the recital? As friends, in celebration.**

Blaine kissed Melody in the hair, rubbing her back.

**From: Kurt**

**I’d love that, buddy. Now Skype me so I can sing you goodnight. You need rest.**

Blaine smiled, looking at the text message.

**To: Kurt**

**Will do.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always ^_^


	11. Preliminaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the wait. Not as long as usual, but I hope that it holds you over until next time. :D Enjoy.

**From: Nick**

**Ohio**

**From: Nick**

**Are u up?**

Kurt opened his eyes after the second vibration. His phone was still in his hand, which had been tucked underneath his pillow. After he and Blaine Skype messaged earlier that night, Kurt had fallen asleep while texting him, and looking at his screen now, Kurt found it funny that the last text he sent actually told Blaine ‘ _but I’m not sleepy :(_.’ Ironic.

**From: Nick**

**If you’re asleep, reply with a 1. Otherwise, we’re climbing through your window.**

Kurt rolled his eyes, sitting up on the bed and dragging a hand down his face. He was still trying to figure out how he put up with these people, and he’d been living in California for _months._

**To: Nick**

**2.**

Despite being exhausted, he got out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d be dragged into something that he shouldn’t be doing—especially on the night before his dance recital. But, Kurt loved the idiots he got to call his friends, and if they were bothering him, it had to be for a good reason.

**From Jeff:**

**Hey sexy.**

Or at least it had better be.

**From: Nick**

**What’s 2? There was no option 2.**

Kurt yawned, squinting down at the cell phone as he typed.

**To: Nick**

**Option 2 means that I’m awake but I want nothing to do with your shenanigans.**

A few seconds after the message had sent, Kurt heard a noise coming from outside. He sighed, stepping into his fuzzy slippers, fixing his bright red pajama pants, and walking out of his bedroom. Maybe this would be quick and he could go see what was up before his father woke up and punished all of them—not _just_ Kurt. All of them.

His phone vibrated again as he got to the bottom step. Kurt glanced at the message as he slowly walked through the dark first floor and over to his front door. Once it was opened, he saw Nick, Jeff, and Blaine—the only one of the three who was dressed like he actually looked in the mirror before leaving his house—all on his stoop.

“Okay… Hello.”

“We wanted to see Blainers here off,” Jeff answered, pulling his robe tighter around him.

He literally came out of the house in a robe and Converse sneakers. Kurt grimaced. He knew his face portrayed the disdain he had looking at what Jeff was wearing, but he was a bit too tired to try and not bitch-face his friends.

“And you know he wanted to say goodbye to you before he left,” Jeff added, but Blaine quickly shook his head.

“Actually, I wanted to let you sleep—”

“He said he would never leave without saying goodbye to you,” Nick cut him off, smirking at Blaine’s deadpan and Jeff’s laughter. Kurt leant against the doorframe and smiled, folding both arms over his chest.

“Shut up.” Blaine pulled at the beanie partially covering his curls. He looked up at his ex and sent him a head nod. “I’m sorry. They dragged me over here. You should be sleeping for tomorrow… both of you should.” He turned to glare at Jeff who shrugged.

Jeff was honestly a pro at this. He’d been dancing for years and had participated in recital upon recital. Everyone knew he could go up on that stage with 15 minutes of sleep and a pack of Skittles and make it work.

Nick cleared his throat and looked up at Kurt. He observed him as well as he could in the dark of the night; the only light they had was from the half-moon and the street lights, and gestured with a head nod to outside the yard. “You have shoes on, right? Let’s all go for a walk.”

Kurt glanced down at himself—t-shirt, pajama pants, fuzzy striped slippers that clashed with said pajama pants. He shook his head no and looked at the three of them. “As lovely as walking around in my night clothes with three of the most irrational boys I know in the middle of the night around this neighborhood sounds, I’m going to have to pass. These aren’t shoes, they’re actually house slippers, and if my dad finds out—”

Nick and Jeff joined hands and started to walk out of the gate. “Come on, fellas,” Jeff sang, apparently disinterested in whatever else Kurt would say. Blaine glanced away from his friends and over to his ex.

“I’m sorry about this again. They said they wanted to see me off and I mentioned wanting to see you but—”

“It’s fine,” Kurt said with a smile.

Against his better judgment, he left the front door unlocked since he didn’t have his keys with him and softly pulled it closed it behind him. No need to wake up the psychotic father at almost 2 AM. Nick and Jeff were waiting in the middle of the road and Kurt shook his head at them as he approached Blaine.

“I’m happy you came over, actually,” Kurt told him. “I _was_ asleep, but I can’t imagine you getting on a plane, if even for a little while, and me not being able to say goodbye. Boyfriend or not, you know?”

Blaine nodded. He moved his eyes away from Kurt’s and looked away, starting to walk. Kurt followed behind him, his arms folded over his chest.

“I also need to give you your jacket before you leave, so it is good that you came over.”

“Thank you. My uncle will probably be outside in a minute anyway, so I won’t keep you long.”

Kurt glanced over at the Kinsella residence as they exited his yard. The light in Don and Pam’s room was on, so he was probably getting ready to head to the airport now.

“CJ’s coming with,” Blaine added. “Says he wanted to be there for _reasons_.”

“Well I 100% support him supporting you,” Kurt replied. He looked at Blaine, noting the way he didn’t look as excited as he normally did hours before a competition. That pre-match arrogance was absent, and he looked a bit complacent. “Are you okay?”

Blaine stopped in front of Nick and Jeff and nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. “I’m good.”

“You two love birds want to go for a walk or hang out in my car or what?” Nick asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Jeff was behind him running his fingers through the boy’s dark hair.

Blaine looked at Kurt for an answer.

“I don’t mind a quick walk around the block,” Kurt said. “It does feel nice out tonight.”

It was a beautiful night out, especially for November. November back in Ohio would probably be filled with 40-degree weather or maybe even snowmen if winter wanted to come early. But the truth was, Kurt didn’t think being enclosed in a small space with the three of them was a good idea. Nick and Jeff were being suspicious as all hell, and he wanted to be allowed the freedom to sneak peeks at Blaine every now and again. It was hard to do that in the SUV. Walking made it easy.

“Cool.” Blaine smiled at him and then gestured for his friends to lead the way. Nick and Jeff began to walk off, and as Kurt and Blaine followed closely behind, Jeff spoke first.

“So, Ohio,” he sang again, and Kurt smiled. Blondie had a nice voice, but Kurt would never say that aloud. He always appreciated the quiet. “How’re you feeling about tomorrow? Well… later?”

Kurt took a deep breath, answering when he felt Blaine’s eyes on him. “You know. Nervous. Excited. Nervous. Optimistic. Nervous.”

“You’ll do amazing,” Blaine said, bumping into Kurt’s side as they walked.

“As will you,” he replied.

Nick and Jeff shared a quick kiss in front of them before Nick turned around. He switched the hand he was holding of Jeff’s so that he could walk backwards. “Seriously. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Blaine actually nervous for a competition. At least since we were like 13…”

“It’s the Recon Tour,” Jeff said. “That’s at a national level. Everyone who’s anyone will be watching.”

Kurt deadpanned at Jeff. “Way to sooth his nerves…”

“I’m fine.” Blaine laughed, but Kurt could tell it was forced. “Honestly, my biggest concern as of right now is getting back here so I can see you wow the crowd. I couldn’t care any less about the competition.”

There was an _aww_ noise that came from both Nick and Jeff. Kurt smiled at them. He seriously wondered if they were here to ‘see Blaine off’ or try to force them back together.

“Blaine.”

His ex looked over at him after kicking a pebble and watching it skip down the road. Nick and Jeff began to turn the corner, both facing front now, but Kurt grabbed Blaine’s arm so he stopped walked.

“What?” Blaine asked; an eyebrow raised on his forehead.

“I know when something is wrong with you, and right now, something is wrong with you.”

At first, Blaine’s face was blank. They played a small game of what resembled a staring contest until Kurt crossed both arms across his chest, eliciting the most adorable smile from Blaine. Nick and Jeff glanced back at them when they realized their friends weren’t behind them.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah—”

“Give us a minute,” Kurt said, just loud enough for his friends to hear, but not so much that they’d disturb any of the neighbors. He stepped closer to Blaine when the boy turned away and cleared his throat.

“I’m not kidding. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s _nothing_ wrong,” Blaine repeated, smiling at Kurt and stepping back a little. “And don’t do that. You’re going to make me kiss you, and I don’t want to hear any of that ‘ _just friends’_ nonsense. Not right now.”

Kurt looked at Blaine before turning to see that Nick and Jeff took to leaning against someone’s car. They were pretty much wrapped up in one another at this point, and though Kurt was happy to see that they weren’t at odds anymore, he didn’t want to see them be lovey-dovey. Not at 2 AM.

“I’m fine. Let’s keep walking and you can tell me all about something that has nothing to do with this.”

“Or,” Kurt said with a smile. “You can quit changing the subject. You don’t get to show up at my house at this time with your animal best friends, mope around, and _not_ get called out for it.”

Blaine rolled his eyes in a playful manner. “I’ll tell you what…”

Nick and Jeff laughed from a few feet away, and when Kurt and Blaine looked over, they were smiling into another kiss. Kurt scoffed and looked away.

“Tell me. I’m all ears.”

Blaine nodded. “Good. You go put the ring back on and I will tell you whatever it is you want to know.”

Kurt smiled, his arms unfolding and falling at his sides. “By the time I go home and do that, you’ll be leaving for the airport. We only have a few minutes and I don’t want you leaving me when you’re obviously feeling upset, Blaine.”

Blaine shook his head. “I wish you’d believe that I’m fine.”

“Is it about the ring?” Kurt questioned. He held up his hand and looked at the tan line. “Because if it is, I’ll put it on. I wanted to wait until we were back together but if it’ll put that gorgeous smile back on your face, I’ll do it right now.”

“Stop flirting with me,” Blaine said. He pulled his track pants up higher and his eyes dropped to Kurt’s lips. “And if you wanted to wait until we were back together, then we should get back together now. Kill two birds with one stone…”

Kurt smiled.

“We used to be the annoying, disgusting couple. Now look at them.” Blaine turned and watched Nick and Jeff practically swallowing one another’s faces. Kurt winced.

“Get a room!”

Jeff turned to face them, though Nick didn’t look entirely thrilled with the idea of not kissing him. “Can we use yours?”

Kurt ignored them.

“Are those new pajama pants?”

Kurt smiled at Blaine. “You noticed? Yes, Blaze got them for me on a sale. He’s thoughtful.”

Blaine nodded, biting his lip. “Of course I notice.”

“And _I_ notice that you’re trying to change the conversation,” Kurt said with a smile, moving in closer again. Blaine laughed a little before pulling the beanie off his head and tossing it between hands. “Is it something that I did?”

Blaine shook his head no. “I’m… –It isn’t you, babe. I just…”

Another pause. Kurt looked at him expectantly, but not judgmentally. He waited for Blaine to be ready with a soft expression on his face.

How was Blaine even supposed to answer, though? Kurt would probably be upset. No. He went through a lot to get Blaine to be able to participate, from at first being against it, to then working out a way for him to go to Ohio and then make it back in time for his recital. After everything that happened, Blaine felt that Kurt would _definitely_ be upset with his answer. But he was feeling so much anxiety that he didn’t know where to begin.

Because of that, he didn’t.

Instead, he shook his head, forced a smile, returned the hat to his head, and began to walk again. Kurt remained in that same spot for a moment after Blaine brushed past him and went towards Nick and Jeff.

It wasn’t all that easy to admit that he didn’t want to compete, especially since he was afraid of losing and being ridiculed on a _national_ level, and letting down all the people who were blindly supporting him _just_ because of who he was now; Blaine Anderson, the hot, teen athlete who was out and ‘proud’. He didn’t want those who were giving him and Kurt a hard time to win, but everything that had been going down as of late lessened Blaine’s desire to compete in Recon. BMX used to be a lot of fun. Now, those feelings weren’t attached.

All he wanted was to be happy with Kurt. Everyone else’s feelings weren’t exactly on his radar.

Nick and Jeff looked up at him when he approached. Jeff’s expression was questionable, wondering if Kurt was okay as the teen started to slowly walk up behind Blaine.

“Everything alright?” Nick was the one to ask it. Blaine put his hands in his pockets and nodded, but Kurt didn’t say anything when he finally caught up with the rest of them.

“Let’s just keep walking,” Blaine replied.

Nick nodded, and Jeff observed the two of them before pulling Nick away, the two hand-in-hand. Blaine was quiet, waiting for them to get a few feet ahead again before he continued to walk. Kurt quietly walked beside him.

The night was cool, the weather comfortable. Not another soul was outside, and that wasn’t really surprising for an early Friday morning in November. Had this been the summer time, the neighborhood would probably still be alive, despite what time it was. Blaine was happy that wasn’t the case.

Kurt looked down at the asphalt as they walked down the empty road, eventually glancing up at the houses along the way. He felt Blaine move closer into his side and brush the back of their hands together, but didn’t respond.

“Baby…” Blaine whispered.

No response.

He tried to link his fingers with Kurt’s, not at all surprised when his ex pulled his hand away and crossed his arms once more. Blaine looked at him as they made another left onto the block behind their own.

“Are you mad at me?” Blaine asked him.

Kurt smiled as he shook his head no. Blaine could only define that smile as dry, and that was never a good thing.  

“I’m not mad at all.”

Yeah. Sure sounded like it.

Blaine moved closer again, sliding his hand around Kurt’s waist. His friends had taken to walking further up ahead, laughing at whatever they were talking about, and still being ridiculously cute. Kurt didn’t fight Blaine’s hand around his waist, and Blaine put both on his hips to stop him from walking.

“Look at me.”

Kurt remained facing front, and he was doing that cute little thing he did—that thing when he had an attitude where he pretended to be upset and to not want to look at Blaine—but Blaine knew better.

“Please?”

With a huff, Kurt turned around. Blaine hid his smirk and remained serious, meeting blue eyes with his own and nodding his gratitude.

“Thank you. I want to be honest with you, but I don’t want my honesty to make you look at me differently.” He took a deep breath. “You understand?”

Kurt looked at him for a moment before nodding.

Blaine licked his lips and continued; returning his hands to Kurt’s side. “Let me ask you something.”

Kurt nodded obviously. “Ask away, Blaine.”

After another awkward pause, Blaine licked his lips. Nick and Jeff stopped walking again and were waiting for them a bit down the block. “Alright. If I were to _not_ go to Recon and instead stayed here with you, how mad would you be?”

The response he got was pretty much the one he expected. Kurt looked at him like he was absolutely crazy, but Blaine didn’t back down from what he asked at all.

“Well after all the work and stress we went through for this, I’d probably kick your ass.”

Blaine smiled.

“Can I ask _why_ you’d want to do that?” Kurt questioned, and the tone of his voice got a little higher on the end.

Blaine tilted his head a bit as he wondered how to answer the question honestly without upsetting Kurt. The stress was the exact reason why he didn’t care about the Recon Tour any more. Competing used to be his life. Now, he had idiots threatening him and degrading his relationship. He didn’t want Kurt in harm’s way, he just wanted them to be them.

With a sigh, he finally replied, “I’m all about my music nowadays. That’s what I’m doing at Pace, and that’s what I’ll end up doing when we move to New York anyway—”

“You’re full of crap, Blaine Anderson.”

“There are many reasons I’m not crazy about flying across the country in another hour, Kurt. The biggest reason is, what if I don’t get back to you in time for your recital tonight—”

“You will.”

Blaine glared at him. “What if I _don’t_? If something happens and I’m not able to? If I go there and choke and I’ve wasted my time and the energy of everyone who is crazy enough to believe in me, then what?”

Kurt shook his head as Blaine’s hands dropped from his side and moved into the pockets of the track pants he wore. “Are you afraid that’s what will happen, Blaine? Do you think you’re going to choke?”

Silence.

Kurt sighed. “You won’t lose and I won’t let you feel insecure about this, Blaine.” He moved his hand to Blaine’s cheek and forced the boy to look back at him as he continued. “Not only are you incredible, but you are one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. Every victory you have, you have earned, and that’s not going to be any different when you arrive in Ohio today. Are we clear?”

Blaine began rubbing the nape of his neck, and Kurt observed his expression. He could tell what was going through his mind right now, and it was the last thing he wanted Blaine to be thinking.

“Regardless of what happens, you know that I love you, B. But you aren’t only doing this Recon Tour for another trophy. There’s _so_ much more riding on this…”

Blaine scoffed. “I don’t care about being a representative of other gay dudes, Kurt.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked away. The silence between them stretched longer and Blaine stood there watching his ex run his fingers through his tall, brown locks. He stood still, knowing that in a few minutes, his uncle would tell them they had to go. He didn’t want to leave Cali on a sour note.

“Kurt?”

He was now playing at the strings of his pajama pants. “Yes, Blaine?”

“I don’t mean for it to sound like that,” Blaine said. “You know that, right? It’s just that… I love you, too. And everything I do is for us. I didn’t come out for anyone else but for the two of us.”

Kurt looked at him and shook his head. “I understand how you feel about your coming out… process. You’re too stubborn to see how much of a hero you actually are in all of this. It’s not surprising.”

Blaine shrugged. “I don’t want to be a hero. I only want you.”

Kurt nodded. “You have me.”

“As a friend,” Blaine added. Their eyes remained on one another.

Kurt sighed once more. “I know it sucks that we can’t be as …affectionate… as we usually are, but are you going to complain about us being friends every time we’re alone together?”

His ex-boyfriend laughed at that, albeit forcibly, and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. To Blaine, their _friendship_ was pointless in this breakup. The two of them had their issues, sure, but what couple didn’t? “You know how I feel about us.”

“Same here…”

“And if we’re friends, that means some guy can brush up on you at any given movement, and what’re you going to say? _Oh, I can’t date right now. I’m in a friendship with a great guy._ That sounds dumb.”

Kurt smiled. “It’s super late and I don’t understand this conversation.” He moved in closer, arms over his chest again. “Did you come over here to argue about us not being together or…?”

Blaine took a deep breath. “I just. Whatever.  I just know that I’m not as excited about this competition as I have been about others because it doesn’t seem fun to me. That’s all.”

Kurt nodded, staring into his hazel eyes. “Because we’re not together or because you genuinely don’t want to compete? Because even though we aren’t _technically ‘_ together’, we’re basically together. I just don’t want us to get distracted with how good it feels when we’re fucking and instead focus on how good it feels when we are friends.”

“Alright,” Blaine answered shortly.

Kurt stared at him.

“I know there’s a lot more riding on this competition, Kurt. I don’t want to let anyone down. I don’t want to feel responsible for letting down a community of people. I don’t want to get shit from people because I don’t promise to _not_ lash back.”

Kurt took a deep breath, nodding his understanding. “You’re amazing. Win or lose, you’re still going to be a hero to a lot of boys and girls just like me, if you _don’t_ give up. This may not mean much to you, but if I was able to see a guy like you when I was living in Ohio—representation…a guy as confident and proud as you are, who wasn’t ashamed of who he was or what people thought of who he loved, then I think it would be a lot easier for me to push forward.”

Blaine listened.

“You don’t have to take responsibility for anything, Blaine. But since you came out, there are kids… hell, even grown-ups watching you. They see someone who is proud, and who is living his life like it’s no one else’s business. Because it isn’t. And you’re giving them the courage to be who they are as well. You’re a hero.”

Blaine tensed at the word. “I’m not interested in being anyone’s hero. I’m interested in the two of us.”

Kurt smiled. Some things would never change. “Ohio Kurt Hummel needed to see a guy like you, even if he didn’t give a crap about sports. He needed to know that things would get better, and so did the people that treated him like crap, Blaine. He needed to have hope that he could be in the public eye, too, and he could be out and proud with a guy he loves.”

Blaine nodded.

“Hope is _huge_ for guys and girls like me, Blaine. Not everyone is lucky to be as confident as you are. People _need_ to see you.”

“Okay. I know.” Blaine looked up at him and smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m being as selfish as usual.”

Kurt took his hand and held it tightly in his own. He pulled him forward a bit and Blaine smiled; the two of them beginning to walk again. “You’re beautiful, dummy. And you’re going to do fine, no matter who you’re competing for.” Kurt turned to kiss him on the cheek, smiling a little when Blaine blushed; their fingers laced tightly. “Besides, if you don’t qualify, I’m not letting those _beautiful_ lips of yours anywhere near my cock _or_ my ass for the next three months.”

Blaine rolled his eyes at that, looking over at his ex. “You don’t even believe that, Kurt. There’s no way you could go more than 10 days without wanting my mouth on you.”

“I bet I could.”

“You couldn’t,” Blaine said confidently. “You want my lips on you right now. That’s why you decided to come out here with us instead of going back to sleep.”

Kurt laughed. “ _Or,_ I came out here because I wanted to see you.”

“You were hoping I’d kiss you.”

Kurt laughed again. They caught up to Nick and Jeff who were eyeing them suspiciously—the latter wiggling his eyebrows at Blaine. Blaine ignored him and looked over at Nick.

“You’re a terrible boyfriend. You should be telling him to get some rest.”

Nick shrugged, looking over at Jeff. “He’s his own man, Anderson. Besides, I’ll put him to sleep when we get back to his place. Isn’t that right, honey?”

Kurt grimaced. Disgusting couples are cheesy and disgusting.

Jeff smiled with a wink. “I’ll think about it.”

Blaine’s phone vibrated and he reached for it with his free hand.

“That’s probably Don,” he said, nodding confirmation when he read the message.

**From: Unc**

**We’re ready. Let’s go, kid.**

“You’re leaving me now?” Kurt pouted. Nick pouted too.

“I told you I didn’t exactly have to leave. You’re the one who wants me to,” Blaine said, pocketing the phone.

“Why wouldn’t you leave?” Jeff asked suspiciously. “You better not be chickening out.”

“He isn’t,” Kurt told them. He watched Nick walk to someone’s yard and enter. Jeff turned and followed him. “Um… what’re you doing?”

“Your house is behind this one,” Blaine said, pulling Kurt forward. “Instead of going around the block, we can just hop the fence.”

“And if there’s a dog?”

“Have you ever heard a dog barking from this yard?” Jeff questioned, sneaking around the side of the house. There wasn’t a light, but there was a huge NO TRESPASSING sign on the front of the gate that Kurt didn’t fail to see. “We’re just going to hop the fence, easy. Unless you’re afraid. Then I’ll walk you the long, respectable way, Ohio.”

“This just reminds me of when you guys broke into my house, that’s all,” Kurt said, shaking his head. He quietly followed behind Blaine whose hand was still in his, thank goodness.

“They’ve got a nice pool,” Nick commented when he reached the backyard. “Sweet.”

Blaine considered pushing one of them into it, but decided not to. He went straight over to the fence and looked back at Kurt. “Need any help or are you good?”

Kurt glared at Blaine and shook his head, not believing he let them talk him into things like this, but after Blaine got the point, he started to climb the wooden fence in his adorable fuzzy slippers. Blaine smiled, putting his hand on an ass cheek to help boost him over.

“That wasn’t necessary.”

“But you liked it.”

Kurt rolled his eyes after jumping down. They ended up in the yard of his next door neighbor’s—not Don, but the one on the opposite side. Kurt fixed his clothes and looked at Blaine after he jumped down. “I can run and grab your jacket really quickly, okay?”

Blaine nodded, following behind him though. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

“I’m a big boy, sweetie.”

Blaine followed him anyway.

Jeff and Nick eventually got over the fence after their make-out session was done in the other yard. Nick smiled to himself; hands in the pockets of his shorts as they maneuvered out of this yard as well. “You’re seriously going to sleep when we get back.”

Jeff nodded. “I am. I am.”

Kurt saw Cooper’s car was on when he came out of his neighbor’s yard. He looked back at Blaine and smiled. “I hope you know you’re going to be fantastic.”

Blaine shrugged, walking beside him. “I’ll do my best, babe.”

Kurt smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

Nick and Jeff walked out, standing next to Blaine as the teen watched Kurt disappear into his home. They leant back against a gate and smiled.

“So are you two back together or still in denial?”

Blaine looked at Jeff with a smile, rolling his eyes at his friend’s kiss-swollen lips. “We’re still in denial, I guess. Still in love and still in denial. I think I’ll survive.”

Nick nodded. “We’ll try and watch the livestream in school. You better kill it, man. We’re all rooting for you, you know that.”

“Those guys are older and have more experience, but you’re so much better than all of them. I’m talking heart _and_ skill,” Jeff told him. Blaine smiled back as his friend continued. “Cali has your back.”

“I appreciate you guys,” Blaine said. Cooper honked the horn and they all looked over. “Kurt kinda helped me get my head out of my ass. I’m going to do the best I can.”

Nick smiled, looking up at the house as Kurt’s bedroom light turned on. “He’s good for helping you get your head out of your ass. Good thing we came over here, then.”

Blaine nodded. He started to pace back and forth a bit. Jeff _finally_ yawned, and Nick smirked.

“I saw that.”

The door opened to Kurt’s home and he came out; the BMX jacket he made thrown over his shoulders. He hurriedly made his way over to them outside his yard and smiled.

“My dad’s up.”

Blaine winced. “Uh-oh.”

Nick and Jeff waved goodbye immediately, patting Blaine on his back and kissing his cheek respectively before going to get into their car. Of course they’d split when Kurt was in danger of getting in trouble before they, too, could get in trouble. Add that to the fact that Kurt was only awake because of them and you could see how big of idiots they were.

Blaine smiled and shook his head, looking back at Kurt. “I’m sorry.”

Kurt shrugged, removing the jacket. “I actually only said that so they could leave us alone.”

The boys pulled off and Blaine laughed, stepping forward. “Nice.”

“This is for you,” Kurt said. “It’s all done, and if you don’t want to wear it, I’d understand. But I hope you do.”

Blaine accepted the BMX jacket from him and smiled as he looked at the great detail Kurt put into making it. Purple and black. His name stitched across with the other patches surrounding it. He smiled and shook his head, not knowing anyone else willing to do something _this_ awesome.

“I hate this so much.”

Kurt smiled. “Asshole. It's fine, though. I only slaved day and night over it—”

“Not the jacket,” Blaine said. He looked up at Kurt as he held it, feeling the fabric between his fingers. “I hate that I can’t kiss you right now.”

Kurt’s smile slowly fell from his lips as they maintained eye contact.

“Because this is seriously one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten… and for you to put the time and effort into doing this means so much to me, Kurt. I’m really grateful.”

Another beep from the car. Kurt turned away from Blaine’s lips and looked at Cooper who was now getting out of his BMW. Someone had great success in Hollywood recently and he was spending money as if he was George Clooney.

“Wrap it up, love birds. We do have a flight to catch.”

Blaine nodded to him before holding out both arms. He smiled at Kurt, tipped his head to the side, and wiggled his eyebrows. “Give me a good luck hug, at least.”

Kurt didn’t even bother fighting him on it, or replying with a sarcastic quip like he normally would. Instead, he moved forward, right into Blaine’s strong arms, and inhaled sharply as the boy wrapped him up tightly.

Blaine smiled. Though he really, _reallyreallyreallyreally_ wanted to kiss Kurt right now, right on those soft, pink lips of his, he enjoyed the feeling of the boy relaxed in his arms. Maybe he wasn’t crazy about getting on the flight to the east, but he did want to make sure Kurt was proud of him. He needed Kurt to be proud of him.

“I love you, Blaine Anderson.”

Blaine smiled. “I love you, too, Chris Pratt. Ouch—” Kurt pinched him on the ribs and Blaine laughed. “Kurt. Ouch. I love you too, Kurt Hummel.”

Kurt pulled back with a smile. “If you qualify for the semifinals, you’ll enjoy your present quite a bit.”

Blaine licked his lips out of habit. “Is that so?”

Kurt smirked, looking him up and down as he took a couple steps back towards his home. “If you lose, you better get acquainted with that right hand of yours.”

Blaine smiled. “I’m not losing.”

“I know you aren’t.” Kurt gave a small wave before backing up again. “And I can’t wait to celebrate.”

Cooper cleared his throat and Blaine winced, not reallywanting to leave. His uncle stuck his head out the passenger side window and told him to hurry it up.

“Now, Blaine.”

“Text me when you land, please?” Kurt asked. When Blaine nodded, he smiled and turned his attention to Cooper and Don.

“Goodnight, guys. Safe travels.”

“Go to bed,” Don said with a smile. Kurt laughed and waved goodbye to Blaine again. Blaine returned the wave and watched the boy disappear inside before finally climbing into his older brother’s car.

“Should we ask what that was all about?” Cooper questioned, starting the car up and reaching for his seatbelt.

Blaine shook his head no. “Just promise me we’ll be back in Cali in time to see him perform tonight and we can talk about whatever you guys want to talk about.”

Don sighed and glanced back at his nephew. “We’ll do our best.”

-x-

Cooper wasn’t used to this subdued, unenthusiastic version of his younger brother. It was true that after their father’s death, Blaine became reserved and ‘cared’ less, but it had never gotten quite this bad.

They were about half an hour into their flight at this point. Uncle Don had fallen asleep practically after sitting down in the row behind theirs. Cooper thought it would be a great opportunity for them to talk a bit, but as per usual, Blaine shut him down quickly, turning the TV on right away.

His brother wasn’t a fan of discussing his breakup with Kurt. Cooper couldn’t really blame him. He knew Blaine wasn’t really a fan of discussing _anything_ one could peg as emotional—it was the ‘man’ in him that felt he needed to keep feelings tucked away. But Kurt and Blaine—they were like best friends, and soulmates— all that jazz, and it wasn’t hard to see that them being apart sucked for his little brother. But keeping that pent up wasn’t exactly going to help either, _especially_ not when he had a competition to participate in just about over an hour from now.

Cooper considered easing the conversation out of him with small talk at first, but at this point, Blaine had his huge headphones on and was staring at the TV screen in front of him. It looked like a sucky movie was playing, so it wouldn’t hurt for him to miss a few minutes of it—

“I can feel you staring at me, CJ.”

Cooper was thrown for a moment, clearly not expecting Blaine to say anything. He cleared his throat and straightened up in the surprisingly comfortable airline chair.

“I was only thinking.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Shut up.”

“If you’re worried about me, I’m fine.” Blaine removed the headphones so that he could properly turn and look at Cooper. “I want to get all of this over as quickly as possible and go back to Long Beach. That’s all there is to it.”

Cooper nodded at the statement, holding on to the eye contact from Blaine a little while longer. He seemed genuine enough. “Uh huh. So you and Kurt—you’re okay now?”

Blaine’s expression was flat, but eventually a smirk covered his lips. He shrugged, and before he answered, his head hit the seat rest. “We’re not back together, if that’s what you mean.”

Cooper nodded. “Oh. That is what I meant.”

Blaine was quiet.

“I’m sorry, Squirt.”

“It’s fine, really. He’s a man with a mission, and he’s stubborn, so I don’t think we’ll be back together until he can prove whatever it is that he wants to prove.”

“Which is?” Cooper asked.

Blaine looked at him. “That there’s more to us that… just what we do in bed. That we can successfully communicate and be each other’s friend without having to undress each other first. Something along those lines.”

Cooper’s reaction was unreadable at first. It was a pretty blank expression, but after a moment he nodded his understanding. Blaine was pleased that a ‘TMI’ didn’t leave his lips. After all, he did ask, so he got an honest answer.

“I think that’s an important thing for you two to work out. It is trust that strengthens a relationship in the long run, not how good your sex life is, Squirt. Chances are you could have good sex with anyone but you can’t spend forever with anyone. I’m assuming it’s forever you want with Kurt.”

“You’d be assuming right,” Blaine said. He turned forward and stared at the small TV screen. “And the sex isn’t just _good_ with him. That’s why I’m not so much a fan of this little hiatus we’re taking.”

Cooper smirked. “I’ll let you in on a little something.”

Blaine glanced at him; eyebrows scrunched a little.

“Kurt is a guy just like we are. He wants it, too.”

That was probably true. Kurt wasn’t as vocal as Blaine was about sex, but he did start a lot of their _sessions_ himself. And god, while they were going at it, he _really_ got into it. Blaine was blessed. But even if Kurt wanted it, he was really good at hiding it.

“He just wants you two to be okay that much more.”

“I want that, too,” Blaine said.

“Then you should show him.” Cooper opened his bag of pretzels before continuing. “I’ve never been much of the boyfriend type, and I don’t claim to be a romance expert, but I’m really trying now because Jasmine is worth it. She always was.”

Blaine nodded. His brother had grown up a lot over the course of his new relationship, it seemed.

“And I want to see you and your boy work it out. I know you do, too.”

“Of course I do.”

“Then show him,” Cooper said, a small smile on his lips. “I’m pretty sure if he sees that you can spend time with him and just be together and enjoy yourself without trying to get in his pants, he’ll see that you’re taking this little time apart seriously. I think it’s a good thing for the both of you.”

Blaine nodded. What his brother was saying did have some truth to it. All he had to do was stop fighting Kurt on their whole time-apart thing and just show him that he was willing to prove they were more than just another hormonal teen relationship. Maybe he’d take him out somewhere after the recital tonight. Just as friends.

Cooper patted him on the shoulder before eating a couple pretzels. “You’ll be fine, Squirt. Try and get some rest so you can kick ass later.”

Blaine dug his hand into the bag to take some of the pretzels and nodded, facing forward again. He seriously needed to kick ass at this preliminary competition. His competitors were all assholes and whether Blaine wanted to admit it or not, there were a lot of people relying on him.

-x-

Kurt hadn’t really gotten much sleep after the guys left, at least not until about 4:30 in the morning. His mind was racing with everything from the conversation he had with his ex, to hoping Blaine was okay mentally with the competition. It concerned Kurt that Blaine was having second thoughts about competing, and it concerned him that Blaine had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

His alarm went off at a quarter to 7. Kurt rolled over to turn it off. Instead of thinking about what a big day today was and how it could have a serious impact on the rest of his life, he decided to get 15 more minutes. His father would barge into his room and wake him up at the right time, and Burt Hummel worked a lot better than any alarm clock.

As Kurt stretched, he took a deep breath and wondered how Blaine was doing. Their flight was still in the air at this point, not landing until around 11:45 eastern time. That meant that Blaine had a couple more hours to freak out before he was actually in Ohio, and Kurt suspected that was exactly what he was doing. Hopefully Cooper or Don would keep him relaxed. He’d do as amazing as he always did.

It felt like Kurt had been sleeping for much too long when he woke up again, tossing over in his bed. And it was because he _had_ been sleeping for much too long.

He shot up out of bed and realized that his alarm clock said 9:17 AM. How was that even possible? It felt like he’d _just_ went back to sleep, and more importantly, his father hadn’t once busted into the room to yell at him to get ready.

Kurt reached for his phone. Messages from Justin and a couple from Dani. There was also a _‘we’re here’_ from Blaine, meaning he had landed safely.

He pulled on a shirt that was a size too big and walked out of his bedroom. The sound of the living room TV could be heard from the second floor. Kurt used the bathroom and then went downstairs to see what was going on. His father was on the couch with ESPN’s extreme sports network on the widescreen, still wearing his sleeping clothes, and a huge bowl of cereal resting on his belly.

“Dad—?”

“He hasn’t come on yet,” Burt said, taking a huge bite out of what looked to be cornflakes. “I don’t even think he’s arrived yet. They’ve been interviewing these little douchebags all morning before they go on.” He turned to look at Kurt, trying not to smile at how disoriented he looked. His hair was awry and he was wearing that large Ohio State t-shirt he sometimes slept in. “Didn’t you say he would be one of the first ones to go up?”

Kurt wanted to ask so many questions, like for one, why hadn’t his father woken him up for school, and secondly, why didn’t he go to work, but whole _Blaine isn’t there yet_ distracted him. “What do you mean you don’t think he’s there yet?”

The broadcast went to a commercial. Burt finished chewing and put the bowl down. “Don called and said they were stuck in traffic and that Blaine was having a mini-meltdown about whether or not he’d be able to make it in time and still get their flight.”

Kurt shook his head. “He’s really going to go crazy if he doesn’t make it, but I told him it’s fine.”

“Come sit down and watch.”

“You are aware that today is a school-day, correct?” Kurt asked, walking over to the sofa anyway. “Like… a pretty important school day.”

Burt took a sip from his mug and shook his head. “There’s nothing big going on at school today. It’s just another Friday. You have a big night. A dance recital, kiddo. Take it easy. You can at least watch your boyfriend do what he does best.”

Kurt took a seat not too far from his father, but was otherwise quiet. He had no problem staying home if it meant he got to see Blaine’s performance.

“Or ex-boyfriend. Whatever you two call yourselves.”

His eyes closed. Of course his father knew. And he’d probably want to talk about it.

He opened his eyes as the Recon Tour broadcast came back on. A sportscaster stood there, discussing the rankings so far and saying who would be up next. It was Todd Kingston, apparently. He had won the year before, Kurt remembered Blaine telling him.

“You’re quiet,” Burt said.

Kurt watched his father reach for his breakfast and shrugged a bit. “There’s not much to say. We aren’t together right now but we’re still close. Always will be.”

Burt hummed, taking another bite.

“We’re here with Todd Kingston,” the sportscaster said. “He’s our reigning champion who promises something phenomenal this competition. Todd,” the man turned to face the guy. Kurt stared at him. Right away, he didn’t like the smirk on his face.

“How are you?” Todd answered, looking around the stadium and then back to the man.

“Excellent. We’ve gotta ask—there’s been a bit of a back and forth between you and some of the other competitors. Your good friend Craig, of course, is currently in first place and he dedicated that run to you in a very arrogant manner…”

Todd laughed, rubbing at the scruff on his chin and pulling his beanie down tighter over his head. “I hope he enjoys his short stay at the top of the leaderboard,” he said.

The sportscaster laughed harder than he needed to, Kurt felt. He pulled his cell phone out of the pockets of his pajama pants and looked down at the screen.

Nothing from Blaine.

He sighed, starting his own message.

**To: Blaine**

**I heard you were freaking out about making it back and I just want you to relax. Freaking out and riding a bike down a huge slope doesn’t mix well.**

“Well there is another competitor that I wanted to discuss with you and that’s a newcomer to the Recon Tour—Blaine Anderson.”

Kurt looked up at the screen in time to see Todd laugh and look away. He could hear his father put the bowl down again.

“This guy looks like a jackass,” Burt said.

Precisely.

“I don’t have much to say about Blaine Anderson,” Todd said. “I mean, congrats to his fans for getting him here, I guess. I don’t think he’s ready but—”

“Weren’t you one of the guys that said he faked his relationship with his boyfriend to get publicity?”

Todd laughed, biting down on his lip. “I say a lot of things to get people worked up, you know how I am.”

Burt looked at his son. “What’s this guy’s deal?”

“He’s an idiot,” Kurt said simply. “It’s guys like him that are part of the problem between me and Blaine.”

Todd continued on screen after further prompting from the man interviewing him. “To be honest, I don’t care much about Blaine Anderson’s love life,” he said. “All that I know is he’d be lucky to even make it through to the next round because he’s playing with actual seasoned veterans now, not those kids in California. I respect his uncle a lot, but I don’t think he’s ready for this gig. I’m about to show him now.”

**From: Blaine**

**Pay attention in class.**

Kurt read the message.

“Well, there you have it folks. Our returning champion is about to show us what he’s made of right here in Columbus Ohio at the Recon Tour.”

The crowd cheered as Todd walked over to the vert. Kurt didn’t want to wish ill towards anyone, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he really wanted this guy to fall and break a couple appendages.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on between the two of you or leave me in the dark even more?”

Kurt ignored his father to answer the message. He didn’t need a talking to from Burt. He and Blaine were going to work through this for sure.

**To: Blaine**

**I’m actually at home right now. Dad wanted me to stay since I have a big night and we’re watching Recon. And since when do you want me to pay attention in school instead of talking to you?**

**To: Blaine**

**Also, Todd Fuckboy Kingston is about to go on.**

There was more mindless sports talk on TV as Todd put his helmet on and got ready.

**From: Blaine**

**So you’re watching with your old man right now? Jeez. No Pressure :P**

**We just got to the game site and they r telling me since I was late I have to wait 5 more people to go on. Then there’s promo to be done here in Ohio before coming back and if im late…**

**From: Blaine**

**& I always want you to pay attention. IDK what you’re talking about **

Kurt shook his head. He could tell Blaine was working himself up over nothing. And as bad as he wanted him to be there…

**To: Blaine**

**If you’re late, just know that it will be recorded and we can watch it together. And there will be other performances. Because I’m a star. And I’m going to be on Broadway. And you’ll be there. :D**

**From: Blaine**

**I’m not trying to hear that, Kurt. You know it. I’m going to sign autographs in the meantime okay? I’ll ttyl**

Kurt replied and then looked up at the screen. He felt that he was more nervous than Blaine might’ve been, and that was saying a lot. His father told him to stop chewing on his nails and he dropped his hand to his lap, watching as Todd Kingston finally descended on the ramp. He did a few tricks, landing them perfectly, but it honestly wasn’t anything that wowed Kurt or his father, really.

-x-

Blaine and Cooper looked up at the score board after Todd’s run. Blaine had been trying to keep his distance—he knew if he went anyone near Todd or his friends, he’d end up trying to hit them and getting disqualified. He also knew that Cooper would do the same and his actor brother didn’t need to be in the headlines either.

But Todd’s run was decent, at best. He was good, though, and most likely keeping all of his best stuff for the semis and finals. Blaine didn’t care. His priority was qualifying, and next week he’d worry about everything else.

He watched as the next guy got ready to go up and looked at the time. It seemed like all of this was taking an eternity.

People were shouting “Blaine Anderson” from behind him. He loosened the gloves around his hands and told Cooper he’d be right back, returning to the crowd to sign a few more autographs. The cameraman came over and focused on him as he posed for a couple selfies.

“Are you really dating a boy?” someone in the stands shouted. Blaine rolled his eyes but eventually nodded.

“Chances are I’m going to marry that boy so you better get used to it.”

“Well if you don’t, I will. He’s hot, dude.”

Blaine glared at the guy. “Back off.”

Cooper chuckled and looked back to the competition. Leave it to his brother to get defensive over a relationship that wasn’t actually a thing anymore. He scratched at his jaw as he watched the next person go up. This was all starting to get repetitive. He could probably compete in this if he really wanted to, but he was a little tired from the flight.

His uncle was still trying to get Blaine bumped up a little in the line-up. He missed his opportunity to go on like Kurt negotiated because they were stuck in traffic, and his brother had an attitude, but since then he’d calmed down. Now he was finding ways to distract himself, like with the fans. It worked.

Don walked over and clapped his nephew on the shoulder. “Where’s Blaine? They want to interview him now so he can go up next.”

Cooper let go a breath of relief and gestured over to him. “I’ll go get him.”

**From: Kurt**

**Just so you know, that whole ‘I’m going to marry that boy’ spiel was on TV.**

Blaine posed for one last photo before checking his phone and smirked, shaking his head.

**To: Kurt**

**Don’t get excited. I wasn’t even talking about you.**

**From: Kurt**

**Mhmm. Keep telling yourself that.**

“Let’s go, Squirt. You’re up next.”

There were a lot of good luck chants and he smiled, saluted the crowd of fans, and walked off behind his older brother.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been trying to get this over with all morning,” Blaine answered quickly. He accepted his helmet from his uncle and walked over to Alex Brady, the ESPN sportscaster. Together, they watched the end of the run of whoever it was on the vert and Blaine rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t sure why these guys were so full of themselves. He was 17 and he knew he was already as good as them. He’d only get better.

Alex Brady pushed in his earpiece as he communicated with whomever. The crowd cheered loudly as he and Blaine showed up on the big screen, and Blaine wondered if the shock he felt was showing up on his face right now. He was virtually a no one in the world of Recon—a newcomer from California who had just come out as dating another guy. There was no way this huge stadium was showing him this much love…

But it seemed that they were.

He moved in closer to Brady to try and hear what the man was saying, catching the tail end of it.

“…to you, and to Long Beach California. I’m sure being in this competition has been really exciting for you.”

Blaine smirked as the microphone was now held to his lips. “Well, I’m happy to be here representing the good people of Long Beach. The road to Recon has been an… interesting journey, but I’m happy I could be experiencing this.” He waved at the crowd when a _Blaine_ chant was started.

“When you say ‘interesting’, can you elaborate?”

Blaine nodded. “I’m not used to my personal life being dragged into what I do professionally. I came out recently because I was proud of my relationship, not because I wanted my relationship dissected by thousands of people. But it’s out there and I don’t regret it.”

Alex Brady nodded. “Well congrats on coming out!”

Blaine nodded in return. “Thank you.”

“I wanted to ask you about how it feels being in the big time,” Alex Brady continued. “This is your first national competition and you’re up against some of the big names in this sport in the country. How’ve you been preparing?”

“Nothing has changed,” Blaine said. “I’m still putting the work in just like always. This has been tougher on me mentally, I think. But physically I’m ready to go.”

The man nodded. “Well you’re up now, Anderson. Best of luck to you.”

“Thank you. This one’s for Melody,” Blaine said, walking off and putting on his helmet. Cooper fixed the scarf around his neck and went to stand with the other coaches.

-x-

It had been 3 hours since Blaine went on. Kurt hadn’t heard anything from him after watching his performance. He wasn’t concerned or anything; he and his father were still watching the preliminary competition and Blaine was in the top 10. They said that the top 24 would be pushed through to the next round.

What concerned him was the fact that it was almost 1 in Cali. He had six hours before the recital began, and Blaine’s flight back would be close to five hours. If he wasn’t at the airport now, he was most likely screwed on getting back in time.

Cooper wasn’t answering. Don wasn’t either. Their phones may’ve been dead, or Blaine was in an interview. Kurt wanted to stop worrying about whatever was going on and actually focus on what he was supposed to be getting done that day, _but_ , it was hard not thinking about his ex-boyfriend every other moment.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Burt told him. “You’re a worrier like your mother.”

Kurt stood up, apparently having had enough of Recon without Blaine’s face being on it anymore. “I’m going to shower and get ready. I think Nick and Jeff will be over here soon so, just shout if you need to.”

Burt nodded. “Where are you going?”

“Pre-gaming. Food. Look at boys. You know how it is.”

Burt rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”

Kurt felt his phone vibrate as he went up the stairs.

**From: Blaine**

**Hey friend**

Kurt wondered if Blaine could hear what he just said to his father as he replied to the message.

**To: Blaine**

**Don’t ‘hey friend’ me, young man. I’ve been worried about you**

**To: Blaine**

**What’s up? No one has been answering their phone**

His dance recital outfit had already been packed away in his duffel bag. Kurt was surprisingly calm about all of that. He knew the stage freight would probably haunt him closer to the time to suit up, but now he wasn’t sweating it.

What he did know was New York City and his future kind of depended on what would happen tonight. If he wanted a chance to get into NYADA, he’d have to impress tonight.

He intended to impress without Liam’s help.

 **From: Blaine**   

**I’m sorry. We were in the radio station and they kept pushing me back. Todd’s interview went on forever. I got kinda vocal about it 2 so now my uncle is pissed.**

**From: Blaine**

**IDC about his feelings right now. We’re on our way to the airport, stuck in traffic once again. Justin drove up and he’s giving us a lift. What are you doing, though?**

**From: Blaine**

**Thinking about me, huh?**

Kurt reached for a towel and grabbed his phone, smiling when he read the message.

**To: Blaine**

**I could use a nice long hug right about now. Guess I have to wait for Jeff to come over :/**

**And when you say you got vocal… please don’t say you yelled at anyone at the radio station lol. You are the youngest one there. Don’t throw hissy fits.**

**From: Blaine**

**I give better hugs than he does. All he’s going to do is try and grab ass and you know it. And there was no yelling, but I did make myself clear on how it’s supposed to go. They tell me something and I expect that to happen. I got there on time. I wanted to be in and out.**

Kurt shook his head, but he wasn’t surprised. He knew the boy well, and Blaine was never one to hold his tongue. Donald probably had a fun time dealing with that.

**From: Liam**

**Kurt! Hey. I know that you borderline hate me, but I’m meeting up with Madame Tibideaux before the recital. She’s from NYADA, I’m sure you’re aware. I told her you’d meet us for a bite to eat if you’re interested. If not, that’s fine too.**

Kurt saw the name and didn’t even want to read the message, but he skimmed through it anyway.

Then he read it again.

Why couldn’t this message come from anyone who _wasn’t_ Liam? He’d love the chance to get to sit down and talk with Madame Tibideaux. Are you kidding? But his TA wasn’t the type to spend time with. After all, he’d just slapped him at a party not that long ago.

**To: Blaine**

**I understand. Just hurry up and get back. You’re still in the top 10, you know. Looks like we’re taking another trip to Columbus next weekend.**

He decided to answer Liam after his shower. He’d consider whether or not that was a good idea in the shower. On the one hand, he could ignore the guy and focus on making a good impression on Madame Tibideaux beforehand. But then there was the thought that Liam would try and do something he shouldn’t.

Kurt wasn’t sure what to do.

**From: Blaine**

**Yeah.**

**From: Blaine**

**Send me a naked pic.**

Kurt rolled his eyes.

**To: Blaine**

**I’m too busy getting ready to go touch myself in the shower. Sorry.**

**But I’ve got a question.**

He could hear the doorbell ring. That was most likely Niff and Jeff. His dad would keep them company.

**From: Blaine**

**Screw you. Ask away.**

Kurt leant against the dresser as he thought about the best way to phrase this. His ex would be upset no matter how he said it, so he didn’t know why he bothered. But still, he asked anyway.

**To: Blaine**

**If I said I was going to have lunch with someone from NYADA and that Liam would be present, would you hate me?**

As expected, there was a stall before a response. Kurt stared at the screen, biting his lip. He saw the ‘…’ meaning Blaine was typing.

He kept typing.

He typed some more.

**From: Liam**

**At least answer, even if it’s a no.**

Kurt ignored him.

**From: Blaine**

**I mean… my first response was I’d hate that. I wouldn’t hate you. But I don’t trust Liam. Like… imagine if I said I was going to hang out with Farrah or someone. Or an ex, you know what I mean? Imagine how you’d feel. That’s how I feel thinking about you spending time with him. He obviously wants to fuck you Kurt and I’m not alright with that. But when it comes to someone like Jose who I know actually respects our relationship… at least the relationship we had, I’ve learned how to back off. But on the other hand, if you’re having lunch with someone from NYADA that’s cool.**

Kurt read it as he walked towards the bathroom. He could hear Nick and Jeff arguing with his father when he went into the hallway. It sounded like it was about football and he wanted no part of it.

**To: Blaine**

**You trust that I wouldn’t be going to socialize with Liam, right? I’d just go to meet up with the lady. You would have squat to worry about.**

**From: Blaine**

**I trust you. It’s him.**

**To: Blaine**

**As long as you trust me, then. Right?**

**From: Blaine**

**I guess. We’re like 10 minutes from the airport and my phone is on 2% so the next time you see me, it’ll be at the recital. Fingers crossed**

Kurt leant against the doorway, wondering if Blaine’s phone was really on 2% or if he just didn’t want to talk anymore.

**To: Blaine**

**I love you. Have a safe flight and kiss Justin for me. Like on the lips.**

**From: Blaine**

**I love you more, friend.**

**P.S. Justin’s tongue tastes like green apple.**

Kurt laughed, rolling his eyes and walking inside. He started to strip and turn on the water.

**To: Blaine**

**I know.**

**From: Blaine**

**Bitch. Lol. Love you, stupid. TTYL**

Kurt took a deep breath and went to the other conversation.

**To: Liam**

**Where are we meeting?**


End file.
